Summary
- I love Early Access when games evolve; replaying them after major updates is a joy.
- Steam adds a “Leaving Early Access” field so you can see planned release windows.
- Dates can be set to show day/month/quarter/year and aren’t binding – devs can delay release windows.
Early Access is a real double-edged sword for me. When it’s done right, I love it; there’s something really fun about playing a game, enjoying it, putting it in a drawer for a year or two, and then digging it out to see how it changed and evolved since you last left it. Trust me, finding an excuse to replay a game you’ve loved and beaten before is great.
However, not every Early Access game is a success. Some of them linger in EA forever as the developer gets bored or dispirited and moves on to do something else. As such, it’s always good to double-check when the developer actually plans to ship; that way, you can easily identify the ones near the finish line versus the projects that may die off mid-way through dev. Well, Steam has now added a new feature that helps you decide whether you want to take the chance.
Steam’s new upcoming games calendar will tell you which days will make your wallet cry the most
At least they have the courtesy to say when it’ll happen.
Valve is adding planned release date information to Early Access titles
You’ll still need to take a little leap of faith, though
As reported by our sister site GameRant, Steam is now letting Early Access developers pick when they plan to release their games. This information will show up on the Steam page, under the ‘Early Access’ blue declaration box. Steam will add a ‘Leaving Early Access’ field, which tells everyone when the game is planned to release, which should allow people to make better decisions on whether they want to support the game. Is it due to be released in a few months, or is it going to be in the long haul? These questions are really important for Early Access buyers and can really make or break a sale.
Of course, not every Early Access developer will know the exact date their game will ship. Some won’t even know the year. As such, there’s a lot of granularity with the date selector, allowing the devs to see which day, month, quarter, or year the game will release. So, some devs can say their game will release “November 2026” while others can mark it as “Q3 2027.” Very handy.
However, you shouldn’t blindly trust any date set by a developer. Setting a date is by no means a binding contract, and a dev can keep pushing the release window back. However, it can act as a single part of a larger investigation into whether or not you feel comfortable supporting an Early Access game.
