So you think can slay all the monsters and win eternal glory, is that it? Bad news, hero. In the Spiral Shards, we can only send in one hero at a time to fight the Ceaseless Dirge. At some point, a flaming blue fireball, mech mortar rocket, or giant spike of doom is going to hit you in the face, and you’re going to die. That’s when the fun begins.
When you die, you’ll leave behind an Echo of your hero on the battlefield. The next hero in line will be able to resurrect your Echo as an AI battle companion. Take turns continuing each other’s games, fighting and dying with friends until you have an entire army of Echoes by your side. Everyone dies. Heroes continue.
Next Up Hero is a 2D action adventure driven by Community Continue. Next Up Hero is inspired by friends taking turns at the arcade to beat unfairly difficult games, and designed so beating a session is a shared victory and more fun than playing on your own.
Choose from nine heroes with an assortment of weapons and abilities to suit your playstyle, from swords and rocket launchers to laser turrets, bongo drums, and boomerangs. Coming this fall, Heroes who complete feats of greatness will gain entry into the Champions Trials, a monthly contest in which Digital Continue throws the hardest monsters they have at you.
Developed with community feedback, beginning with an exclusive closed beta at RTX this summer and moving to Steam Early Access in the fall, Digital Continue will incorporate community ideas to improve characters, gameplay, weapons, attacks, and enemy types for the final game.
Next Up Hero is the first game from Digital Continue, founded by Joe Tringali, the co-founder of 5TH Cell, creators of Scribblenauts, Lock’s Quest and Drawn to Life.
Features
Champions Trial (Early Access only) - Collect and spend Grand Tokens to gain access to the Champions Trial. These connected adventures will be unique each month. Each Grand Token earns you a single play, so choose your character wisely, and work together with the community to solve puzzles, defeat challenging enemies, and unlock new rewards!
Journal System - Customize and track your own accomplishments stylized like Mad Libs to earn Grand Tokens!
Spotlight Sessions and Leaderboards - Compete with the Community via Daily, Weekly and Monthly Leaderboards! Participate in a Session with your favorite Streamer or Celebrity in VIP Sessions!
Asynchronous Co-Op - Engage in a cutting edge style of cooperative play, Community Continue, where beating community sessions is a shared achievement, and more fun than playing on your own.
Character Customization - Defeat enemies to acquire their abilities to combine with your character of choice for thousands of potential deadly loadouts!
Ability-based Progression - Hunt and defeat dozens of monsters to master their abilities on your way to eternal glory!
Next Up Hero needs at least AMD Radeon HD 6850 / NVIDIA GeForce 650 / Intel Iris Pro 5200 and 8 GB RAM.
Minimum
OS
Windows 7, Windows 10
Processor
Intel Core i3 (3.4 GHz) or AMD A8-7600 (3.1 GHz)
Memory
8 GB RAM
Graphics
AMD Radeon HD 6850 / NVIDIA GeForce 650 / Intel Iris Pro 5200
Storage
5 GB available space
Notes
1 GB VRAM; Windows 8 & 8.1 are unsupported
Is Next Up Hero worth buying?
Steam
60% positive
'Mixed', 68 reviews
Critics (IGDB)
74/100
1 critic
Be the first to review Next Up Hero
What is Next Up Hero about?
So you think can slay all the monsters and win eternal glory, is that it? Bad news, hero. In the Spiral Shards, we can only send in one hero at a time to fight the Ceaseless Dirge. At some point, a flaming blue fireball, mech mortar rocket, or giant spike of doom is going to hit you in the face, and you’re going to die. That’s when the fun begins.
When you die, you’ll leave behind an Echo of your hero on the battlefield. The next hero in line will be able to resurrect your Echo as an AI battle companion. Take turns continuing each other’s games, fighting and dying with friends until you have an entire army of Echoes by your side. Everyone dies. Heroes continue.
Next Up Hero is a 2D action adventure driven by Community Continue. Next Up Hero is inspired by friends taking turns at the arcade to beat unfairly difficult games, and designed so beating a session is a shared victory and more fun than playing on your own.
Choose from nine heroes with an assortment of weapons and abilities to suit your playstyle, from swords and rocket launchers to laser turrets, bongo drums, and boomerangs. Coming this fall, Heroes who complete feats of greatness will gain entry into the Champions Trials, a monthly contest in which Digital Continue throws the hardest monsters they have at you.
Developed with community feedback, beginning with an exclusive closed beta at RTX this summer and moving to Steam Early Access in the fall, Digital Continue will incorporate community ideas to improve characters, gameplay, weapons, attacks, and enemy types for the final game.
Next Up Hero is the first game from Digital Continue, founded by Joe Tringali, the co-founder of 5TH Cell, creators of Scribblenauts, Lock’s Quest and Drawn to Life.
Features
Champions Trial (Early Access only) - Collect and spend Grand Tokens to gain access to the Champions Trial. These connected adventures will be unique each month. Each Grand Token earns you a single play, so choose your character wisely, and work together with the community to solve puzzles, defeat challenging enemies, and unlock new rewards!
Journal System - Customize and track your own accomplishments stylized like Mad Libs to earn Grand Tokens!
Spotlight Sessions and Leaderboards - Compete with the Community via Daily, Weekly and Monthly Leaderboards! Participate in a Session with your favorite Streamer or Celebrity in VIP Sessions!
Asynchronous Co-Op - Engage in a cutting edge style of cooperative play, Community Continue, where beating community sessions is a shared achievement, and more fun than playing on your own.
Character Customization - Defeat enemies to acquire their abilities to combine with your character of choice for thousands of potential deadly loadouts!
Ability-based Progression - Hunt and defeat dozens of monsters to master their abilities on your way to eternal glory!
Game modes: Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative
Quick answers
What is the cheapest place to buy Next Up Hero?
Right now the lowest price for Next Up Hero we're tracking is $2.46 at Kinguin — 88% below Steam's $19.99. We compare 4 stores and prices refresh every few minutes.
What is the lowest price Next Up Hero has ever been?
The lowest price we've recorded for Next Up Hero is $2.46 at Kinguin on September 11, 2026. The current best price matches that all-time low — historically a good time to buy.
Is Next Up Hero worth buying?
60% of 68 Steam user reviews for Next Up Hero are positive ("Mixed").
Can my PC run Next Up Hero?
The minimum system requirements for Next Up Hero are — OS: Windows 7, Windows 10; CPU: Intel Core i3 (3.4 GHz) or AMD A8-7600 (3.1 GHz); GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6850 / NVIDIA GeForce 650 / Intel Iris Pro 5200; RAM: 8 GB RAM; Storage: 5 GB available space. See the full minimum and recommended specs in the system requirements section on this page.
When was Next Up Hero released?
Next Up Hero released on June 28, 2018, developed by Digital Continue and published by Aspyr Media.
What platforms is Next Up Hero available on?
Next Up Hero is available on PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch. It supports single player, multiplayer, co-operative.
Where's the cheapest place to buy Next Up Hero?
The cheapest Next Up Hero price right now is $2.46 at Kinguin, 88% below the Steam price.