In 1993, a single 5-inch floppy disk containing a game demo sat on the rack of a local computer store, costing less than a cup of coffee and offering hours of entertainment for free. This was the golden age of shareware, a distribution model that allowed fledgling companies like Apogee Software, Epic MegaGames, and id Software to bypass traditional publishing barriers. Consumers could take home a trial portion of a game, often restricted to the complete first section or episode, and decide whether to purchase the rest of the adventure. These disks were so cheap to produce that the cost only needed to cover the physical disk and minimal packaging, making them a staple in stores across the United States and Europe. As the mid-1990s arrived, the increasing size of games made them impractical to fit on floppy disks, leading to a shift where retail publishers and developers began to mimic the practice with shorter demos distributed on CDs with gaming magazines or as free downloads over the Internet. The technical distinction between shareware and demos became clear during this transition; shareware could be upgraded to the full version by adding other episodes while leaving existing files intact, whereas demos were self-contained programs that could not be upgraded, as seen in the difference between the Descent shareware and the Descent II demo where players retained saved games on the former but not the latter.
Magazines and Cover Disks
The 1980s and 1990s saw gaming magazines become the primary vehicle for distributing demos, often including them on cover disks or tapes, particularly in the United Kingdom and mainland Europe. A game demo cover disk distributed with Amiga Format magazine in 1993 exemplified this era, where readers received playable previews of upcoming titles alongside the printed pages. These demos were sometimes exclusive to certain publications, creating a sense of community and exclusivity among gamers who subscribed to specific magazines. As broadband Internet became widespread, the practice of including demos on cover disks gradually lost focus to full games, yet the tradition of console manufacturers releasing systems with demo discs containing playable previews of games to be released for their console persisted. The availability of demos varied between formats, with systems using cartridges typically not having demos available due to the high cost of duplication, whereas systems supporting cheaper media like tapes, floppy disks, and later CD-ROM and DVD-ROM did. Now, the Internet serves as the main source for demos, as nearly all game developers and platforms focus on online distribution, rendering the physical media of the past a nostalgic memory for many.Playable Versus Rolling
A non-playable demo, also known as a rolling demo, is essentially the gaming equivalent of a teaser trailer, displaying a recording of gameplay either in video or through the game's own engine to show off features. These non-playable demos are mainly displayed at gaming conventions such as E3 when the game is still in early production, serving as a technology or gameplay preview for industry professionals and the public. They might also be distributed through the Internet or with magazines as trailers for an upcoming game, or featured at retail stores often among playable demos. Most games also play demos if the title screen is left running, allowing idle players to witness the game's potential without interacting with it. In contrast, playable demos are stripped-down versions of the full game, restricting gameplay to some levels, only allowing access to some features, or limiting the amount of time playable in the game. However, some demos provide content not available in the full game, offering a unique experience that distinguishes them from the final product. Demos for platform or other action games generally include only the first few levels of the game, while demos of adventure games are often limited to a very small number of rooms and have the save game feature disabled.