Culdcept The First Steam demo now available
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Culdcept The First Steam demo now available

by Mikhail Madnani on 04 June, 2026

CityConnection has announced and released a demo for Culdcept The First on PC (Steam) ahead of its full release on July 30 worldwide.

The Culdcept The First demo includes one stage of story mode, one map of versus mode, and demo save data transfer into the full release. Cards obtained in the demo can be carried over. Note that the Quick Save and Load features are not available in the Culdcept The First demo, but the Rewind feature is included. The demo is available here.

Culdcept The First Saturn Tribute launches July 30 for PC (Steam) and September 8 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series, and Switch in the West.

You can find more details from CityConnection below:

The Demo for Culdcept The First is now available!

Demo Specifications:

  • Story Mode: Only 1 stage is playable.

  • Versus Mode: Only 1 map is playable against initial characters.

  • Cards obtained in this demo can be carried over and used in the full version.

  • Demo save data will be automatically loaded upon launching the full version.

  • The new Quick Save & Load features are unavailable in the demo. The Rewind feature is available.

  • This demo is a work in progress. Content may differ from the final release, and availability may end without prior notice.

We hope you look forward to the official release on Thursday, July 30!

Clear River Games, a video game publisher specialising in classic and retro games, in partnership with developers City Connection and series creators Omiya Soft, announced today that a demo of Culdcept The First, the return of highly-regarded 1997 SEGA® Saturn title Culdcept The First, is available to download today!

With its engrossing deck-building gameplay, enchanting fantasy setting and beautiful artwork, Culdcept The First grew a cult following upon launch and has long been the envy of digital board game fans in the West. However Clear River Games and City Connection are fulfilling those long-awaited wishes by bringing it to a new audience with Culdcept The First . The new release will include the original classic with English subtitles, a first for the game, plus quality of life features.

Entering the Culdra Space universe, players will need to fine-tune their Book, a 50-card deck, to traverse the map and strategically wield their cards in battle. Placing a creature is a claim of territory and using Spell Cards can have monumental impact from manipulating dice rolls, supporting creatures to sabotaging rivals. In Culdcept The First players are guided by the roll of the dice, to their victory or defeat.

Players of the Culdcept The First demo will experience first-hand the highly tactical nature of the game, and although progressing across the map is no easy feat, players needn’t go down without a fight. Those who snatch victory from the jaws of defeat will be rewarded with a random set of cards based on ranking which they can integrate into their Book and strengthen their abilities ready for the next encounter.

While the demo is a work in progress, any cards obtained in the Culdcept The First demo, which includes one stage of Story Mode and one map in Battle Mode, can be carried over to the full Steam version. 

Culdcept The First features quality-of-life enhancements including:

  • Rewind the game to any point where a Checkpoint was passed at a Fort or the Castle. 

  • Quick Save & Load* enables gamers to save and load at any time, independent of the main game's standard save function. 

  • Bonus Pack increases the number of Reward Cards received at the end of a match. (can be toggled ON/OFF in the options menu). 

  • Reveal Hands is a brand-new feature allowing gamers to constantly display both their own and their opponent's hand on-screen—information that was only visible at specific times in the original version. Reveal Hands can be toggled ON/OFF, and the display size adjusts automatically depending on the game's screen layout. 

  • Language Switching allows gamers to play the game in either Japanese or English. 

Culdcept The First will launch on Steam on 30th July and will be coming to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S systems soon after.

*The new Quick Save & Load feature cannot be used in the demo.

Try your hand at Culdcept The First with the demo: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3825600/Culdcept_The_First/