Early access, also called alpha access, alpha founding, paid alpha, or game preview, is a way for video game developers to get money by letting players try the game during early stages of development, such as pre-alpha, alpha, and beta. Players who pay to join often help find and fix problems in the game, share ideas, and may receive special items within the game. This method is often used by independent game developers to fund their projects. It can also be combined with other ways to get money, like crowdfunding. Some crowdfunding projects promise to give players access to early versions of games, but these projects sometimes do not yet have a playable game. In contrast, all games available through early access provide players with a playable version of the unfinished game right away.

History

Traditionally, game publishers do not share unfinished games with the public. Instead, they test their games internally and use secret agreements to keep information private. This helps stop software piracy and limits how much competitors can learn about the game. Publishers usually pay for a game to be fully developed before it is released. However, they are less likely to support games that are very different from usual. In some cases, publishers allow players to try a game’s early version in a controlled way. For example, a special invitation to test part of the game Halo 3 was included with another game, Crackdown, which helped Crackdown sell more copies.

Indie games, which are often made without a publisher, face challenges in finding money to develop their games. Smaller indie teams may use their own money, while larger teams might get funding from other sources. Recently, crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Patreon have helped indie developers raise money. Another challenge for indie developers is testing their games before release. Unlike publishers, indie developers often lack resources and may not get enough feedback before a game is finished.

The idea of early access helps solve these problems. Early access allows players to try a game when it is playable but not fully completed. These games may still have bugs or missing features and could take months or years to finish. Players can buy the game during this early stage and help test it. Their feedback helps developers improve the game’s design, artwork, and features before the final release. When the game is finished, players may keep access to it or receive rewards, such as the final version of the game, extra content, or recognition in the game’s credits. These players help fund the game’s completion but risk that the game might not be finished. Early access also helps spread word-of-mouth about the game, as players can share their experiences online or on streaming platforms.

One well-known example of early access is the game Minecraft. It began development in 2009 by Markus Persson, who worked on it alongside his full-time job. The early version of the game became popular, so Persson added a way for players to pay 10 euros (about $15) to try it, which helped fund its development. As more people bought the game, Persson was able to leave his job and start a company called Mojang to expand the team. Minecraft offered early access throughout its development, promising players the final version for free. This happened in November 2011, after about 2 million players had bought the early versions, raising over $33 million. Minecraft’s success made early access a common way for indie games to be developed and released.

Approach

Some online stores that sell digital games help developers offer their games for early access. These stores take a small part of the sales money. They also handle tasks like processing payments through credit cards or PayPal, managing the internet speed needed to send software, handling game keys for other stores, and promoting games on their platforms. In 2011, the store Desura started a program to help independent developers share upcoming games. In 2013, Valve added an early access feature to Steam, allowing developers to use Steam's tools. In 2016, GOG.com began a program called "Games in Development," similar to Steam's, but kept its policy of not using digital rights management and carefully selected games to ensure quality. GOG also allowed buyers to return early access games within 14 days without questions. In 2016, itch.io launched a program called Refinery, letting developers choose from different early access models, such as limited-user alphas or invite-only betas.

The Humble Bundle group created a store called the Humble Store, which helps indie developers sell early access games. It also allows developers to provide Steam keys once games are available on Steam. Players can pay the base price or add extra money to support developers.

Video game console companies also started early access programs. In 2014, Sony Computer Entertainment considered creating an early access program for PlayStation 4 developers and launched it in 2015 with the game Dungeon Defenders II. Microsoft started the Xbox Game Preview program in 2015, offering free demos of early access games to test them before buying. The program included games like The Long Dark and Elite Dangerous. Google introduced an Early Access program for Android devices in 2016.

Most early access games come from independent developers, but some large studios also use early access. Codemasters used Steam's Early Access to develop Dirt Rally, testing interest and fixing issues from earlier games. After a year, they completed the game and released it on consoles and computers. Ubisoft used early access to refine Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Phantoms after its main development was done.

Early access is sometimes linked to funding methods. Games that use Kickstarter or other crowdfunding often give early access to backers and later let others buy access too. However, the term "early access" is sometimes used negatively to describe games that are released as if finished but require many updates or fixes. Examples include No Man's Sky, Mass Effect: Andromeda, and Sea of Thieves.

For free-to-play games, developers offer "founders" packages with early access, in-game currency, or special items. Players keep progress made during early access when the game launches. Games like Paragon, Dauntless, and Fortnite: Save the World used this approach.

In the late 2010s, major publishers began using "early access" to describe pre-order or premium versions of games, giving buyers early access to the game a few days before the full release. Games like Mass Effect: Andromeda and Battlefield 2042 used this method. These early access periods are usually for testing, not feedback. The term "early access" is also used negatively to describe major games released with many bugs or unfinished features, expecting updates later.

Valve's Steam Early Access program, launched on March 20, 2013, uses Steam's tools to sell and distribute games. It started with 12 games. Developers ask for feedback from buyers before releasing games. Valve planned to add games from its Steam Greenlight program to Early Access.

Notable games using early access

In addition to Minecraft, the following is a partial list of games that have been considered successful uses of the early access approach:

• Crab Champions, whose development began in 2019, was released on Steam's early access program in April 2023, exactly five years after Noisestorm's single "Crab Rave" was released.
• Grounded 2, a sequel to Grounded (also released in early access in 2020), was released in early access in July 2025 for Xbox Series X and PC and was nominated for the Best Early Access Game at the 2025 Golden Joystick Awards.
• Hytale began development in 2015 and was released in early access in January 2026, seven months after its initial cancellation.
• Path of Exile 2, a sequel to Path of Exile that began development in November 2019, was released in early access in December 2024 after being delayed from its originally planned late 2020 release date.
• Project Zomboid, which was leaked as a tech demo in June 2011, was released on Steam's early access program in November 2013. As of 2025, the game is still not released and remains under development.
• Star Citizen, whose development started in 2011 and which was announced in 2012 through a Kickstarter campaign, was officially released in Early Access in 2017.

• Ark: Survival Evolved sold over a million copies within a month of its 2015 release in early access, and more than nine million by the time it fully released two years later.
• Baldur's Gate III, a role-playing game developed by Larian Studios using the 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons ruleset.
• Besiege was launched on early access without a strong campaign for gameplay, but had a great deal of visual polish that attracted users to the game. According to Steam Spy, more than a million copies of the game were sold within the first year of it being on early access. While it was one of the first games to use Steam's early access program in 2015, it spent five years before having its full release in February 2020.
• Conan Exiles sold 320,000 copies within one week of release on Steam's Early Access, fully covering Funcom's existing development costs and allowing them to further refine the game with community input. It left early access after about 15 months in May 2018, with more than one million sales prior to this point.
• Darkest Dungeon also used incremental updates during its early access, given the number of various gameplay mechanics systems it uses, and the developers, Red Hook Studios, had to handle a large volume of negative feedback upon the addition of one specific gameplay-changing mechanic they felt was critical to the game. The studio reported sales of over 650,000 across their early access period and a week after going live with their final version.
• DayZ, a multiplayer zombie-based survival game, gained more than 400,000 sales within one week of being on Early Access, and within a year, had over 3 million sales.
• Dead Cells, a roguelike-Metroidvania mashup game, spent about a year and four months in early access, using feedback from players to fine tune features. Prior to its full launch in August 2017, its developers Motion Twin announced the game had sold over 850,000 units.
• Don't Starve used both its own early access approach as well as Steam's version to incrementally add features and obtain feedback from its player base, treating each new release as a new expansion to the game to keep players engaged during this period. Klei Entertainment has used a similar early access development path for its subsequent titles Invisible, Inc., Oxygen Not Included, and Griftlands.
• Fortnite by Epic Games used a paid early access period after both double closed beta period since around July 2017; that that purchased into this Founders' period would gain additional benefits once the game was released in full. Epic reported that more than 500,000 players purchased into this early access period within a week of its launch. The game's early access period was completed on June 30, 2020, spanning nearly three years, but Epic Games reneged on a prior promise to make its "Save the World" story mode free-to-play.
• Hades by Supergiant Games was released in early access alongside the launch of the Epic Games Store in December 2018. Supergiant provided regular updates and roadmaps to the game's development to players, as well as documented by NoClip, through its nearly two-year early access period. Nearly 700,000 copies were sold during the early access period, while another 300,000 were sold in three days after its official release to push total sales over one million units. Hades went on to win several game of the year awards for 2020.
• Kerbal Space Program followed a similar model to Minecraft and eventually moved onto Steam's early access program, where it sold millions of copies.
• Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, released on March 30, 2020, quickly became the largest launch of the year on Steam, achieving more than 200,000 concurrent players.
• PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds released on Steam's early access program in late March 2017 with a focused plan to complete early access within six months through frequent updates. Within six months, Battlegrounds had sold more than ten million copies and grossed over $100 million in revenue. By the time the game was fully released in December 2017, PUBG reported over 30 million total players, a number buoyed by the popularity of the game in China.
• Prison Architect was able to raise around eight million in revenue from more than 250,000 sales of the game while still in early access.
• Scum, a survival game developed by Gamepires, sold 250,000 units on its first day of sale within early access in August 2018,

Reception

Video game critics usually avoid giving final scores to games in early access. Instead, they offer temporary reviews and comments about these games. Polygon says they believe it is important to share opinions about products sold to the public, but they treat early access games differently because these games are still being developed. Eurogamer has updated its review rules to only formally review games that are officially released for sale, though they may share first impressions of games still in early access.

Games in early access are generally not considered for top industry awards because they are not yet officially published and have not received detailed reviews. However, in 2017, the game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds was nominated for several awards, including Game of the Year, even though it had not yet been officially released outside early access. Gamasutra noted that early access, especially Steam's approach, was one of the key trends shaping the video game industry in 2013.

Some people criticize the early access model. Ben Kurchera of Polygon said that using unfinished games as a business strategy is a valid approach. While players who buy early access games can test and provide feedback to developers, they also risk receiving a game that is never completed or is of poor quality. A study from November 2014 found that only 25% of games on Steam's Early Access reached a final release. Sergey Galyonkin, who created the Steam Spy tool, noted that early access games usually see only one major sales increase—when they are first released on Steam—rather than another boost when they leave early access.

Another issue is how long a game stays in early access. Most successful games in early access typically remain in this phase for about one year before a full release. Some, like Kerbal Space Program and DayZ, have stayed in early access for multiple years. Others, such as Star Citizen, remain in early access indefinitely. Players may not know when or if a game will complete its early access phase.

By 2014, early access had gained a negative reputation due to some failures, like Spacebase DF-9. These games lacked the quality guarantees of finished products, and Steam did not always test or curate games to ensure they matched their descriptions. Some players worry about the "double dip" effect, where a game is promoted twice—once during early access and again at its full release. In 2014, Valve updated its early access rules to address these concerns. Developers must now ensure that games in early access are playable and have clear plans for their final versions. Since 2014, early access has become more accepted as developers create better foundations for their games and gradually release content based on player feedback.

Some games have used early access successfully by offering nearly finished products with regular updates and direct communication between developers and players. Games with roguelike features, which rely on random generation, are well-suited for early access because developers can adjust game systems based on player input. Examples include Invisible, Inc., Nuclear Throne, Armello, Broforce, Prison Architect, Darkest Dungeon, Besiege, Infinifactory, Subnautica, and Ark: Survival Evolved. Early access games that gain popularity through streaming platforms also benefit, as developers receive feedback from streamers and their audiences. This approach helped games like Hades, Slay the Spire, and Risk of Rain 2 improve their designs.