Many games have been stuck in the development phase for years, but are playable on Steam. We reveal which games have currently been in the Early Access phase the longest.
Since March 2013, the gaming platform Steam has offered developers the opportunity to offer their titles for sale while they are still in the development phase. Early Access is ideally intended to help finance the development of smaller games and enable fruitful communication between developers and the player base: With their feedback, players help to improve the product and get exactly what they want in return – that’s the idea.
In many cases, Early Access also led to success, prominent examples being PUBG, Subnautica or Satisfactory. Other titles remained unfinished or were even abandoned to the annoyance of players. Some games, however, have persevered in Early Access for a very long time. We have listed the 10 games that have been in Early Access for the longest time in 2022 for you here.
Steam games that have been stuck in Early Access for years
Table of Contents
10: Arcane Worlds
(Early Access-Release: Jan 28, 2014 – Genre: Action-Adventure – Developer: Ranmantaru Games)
Like many other games, Arcane Worlds launched into Early Access in 2014 with ambitious goals. As a wizard, you were supposed to explore open, procedurally generated worlds, fight creatures, terraform and construct buildings. Even a PvP multiplayer was planned, in which you would put your combat skills to the test.
The different worlds of Arcane Worlds should be interconnected and changes should have far-reaching consequences. You would also be able to discover secrets and learn new spells as you explored. The game was inspired by the action classic Magic Carpet.
What about Arcane Worlds today? It seems as if the developers have finally given up on their game. Over the years, smaller updates have been released again and again, but since December 2020, Arcane Worlds has finally gone quiet.
9: Signs of Life
(Early-Access-Release: January 27, 2014 – Genre: Survival-Sandbox – Developer: Sweet Dog Studios)
Signs of Life is a survival sandbox platformer reminiscent of games like Starbound or Terraria: You explore an alien planet from the side view, collect resources and build a base. Of course, you also have to defend yourself against nasty alien creatures that want to get at you. Therefore, you will constantly improve your equipment and weapons so that you don’t end up in the stomach of one of the alien creatures.
You don’t have to fight the battle for survival alone, however, but can also play in co-op multiplayer with others. The alien planet of Signs of Life is made up of procedurally generated content and handcrafted environments.
What about Signs of Life today? There are still clear signs of life from Signs of Life in 2022. Most recently, the developers expanded their game in February with new equipment, enemies and areas. However, Signs of Life is not supposed to disappear from Early Access until all planned content is in the game. And that is supposed to take some time. But even in its current state, Signs of Life is apparently well playable and has 79 percent positive reviews.
8: Steam Bandits: Outpost
(Early-Access-Release: 14 January 2014 – Genre: Adventure – Developer: Iocaine Studios)
In Steam Bandits: Outpost you explore a steampunk world high in the clouds. You’ll travel to floating islands, complete quests, tame animals and fight all kinds of enemies. You also set up your own outpost from which you send companions on missions or craft items. The adventure game could not only be played on the PC, but also on mobile devices.
Steam Bandits was also advertised as being able to switch smoothly between platforms.
What is the status of Steam Bandits today? The chances of the game being completed are pretty slim. The latest version of Steam Bandits dates back to December 2015, and there was a preview of planned content in early 2017. On Steam it only states that major updates are in the works and that the game cannot be purchased in the meantime.
7: 7 Days to Die
(Early-Access-Release: December 13, 2013 – Genre: Survival Sandbox – Developer: The Fun Pimps)
7 Days to Die is arguably one of the most well-known games on this list on the one hand, and a notorious example of never-ending Early Access on the other. In the zombie survival game you have to survive the biting dangers of an open world by collecting weapons, equipment and above all resources. You then use the latter to build as stable a base as possible.
Because every seven nights the zombies become particularly aggressive and attack your home in droves. If you are not sufficiently prepared, you will perish. As the game progresses, the nightly raids become more and more dangerous and you have to upgrade accordingly, for example with turrets, traps or more stable walls for your base.
What about 7 Days to Die today? Even after more than eight years, the game is still in an alpha version. Development is going very slowly, but at least it’s safe, and there are still regular updates. Players acknowledge the developers’ efforts with 88 percent positive reviews. And despite its age, 7 Days to Die currently has over 20,000 simultaneously active survivors. In fact, player numbers have even increased over the years.
6: Kingdoms Rise
(Early-Access-Release: November 18, 2013 – Genre: Action Role-Playing Game – Developer: Flyleap Studios)
The goal of Kingdoms Rise was to provide challenging multiplayer swordplay in a fantasy scenario. A wide range of armour and weapons was complemented by magical abilities such as throwing fireballs, invisibility and teleporting. The force of the battles should be felt with intuitive controls.
What about Kingdoms Rise today? In the end, unfortunately, little came of the idea, which was promising in itself. In the summer of 2017, there was the last minor update, and since then there has been radio silence. Accordingly, players are disappointed in the reviews and warn against buying the game. Overall, Kingdoms Rise has 42 per cent positive reviews.
5: Project Zomboid
(Early-Access-Release: November 8, 2013 – Genre: Survival Game – Developer: The Indie Stone)
In the zombie survival game Project Zomboid, you explore a large, freely accessible game world from an isometric perspective that has been ravaged by a zombie apocalypse. To do this, you search for weapons, food and medicine, join forces with other players, craft equipment and learn new skills. You can even build your own base.
Surviving in the world of Zomboid is quite hard: if you die, all your progress is lost. And death can come very quickly in the form of large zombie hordes. Because all it takes is one bite.
What is the status of Project Zomboid today? The survival game hasn’t left Early Access yet, but it’s still growing and thriving under the eyes of the enthusiastic gaming community: on Steam, Project Zomboid stands at 92 percent positive ratings. At the end of 2021, a major update for the dusty technical framework briefly caused an explosion in player numbers. We tested Project Zomboid in the new version and came to a clear conclusion:
Project Zomboid promises next big feature after Steam comeback
4: Gravi
(Early-Access-Release: 8 October 2013 – Genre: Plattformer – Developer: Hashbang)
In the jump & run Gravi, we control a blue energy ball called Gravi through 2D levels, controlling gravity to avoid traps and solve puzzles. In addition, the sidescroller requires haste, as an angry red energy ball called Anti-Gravi is after us. Successfully rolling through all 40 levels is quite a challenge.
How is Gravi doing today? The platformer is unfortunately not only one of the oldest Early Access games, but also one of the longest forgotten. The last update for Gravi was in December 2014, two months before the planned release of the full version. Since then, however, nothing has happened and Gravi continues to hover in Early Access.
3: Paranormal
(Early Access Release: Sep 11, 2013 – Genre: Horror – Developer: Matt Cohen)
The indie horror game Paranormal is actually even older than its Early Access release suggests. Because the game was already released on 19 October 2012 on the distribution platform Desura, only a year later Paranormal then moved to Steam. The creepiness in Paranormal was supposed to be particularly characterised by a random-based system (Dynamic Haunting) and thus offer unexpected shock moments and unique experiences.
In the game, we investigate our house, which is obviously haunted, in the role of artist Mattel Clark. We see the adventure full of supernatural surprises from the perspective of the protagonist’s video camera. The name of the game is therefore also reminiscent of the horror film Paranormal Activity.
What about Paranormal today? Unfortunately, the horror game is apparently also one of the abandoned Early Access titles. The last update for Paranormal was released in November 2018 and since then it has been quiet around the haunted house, without the reasons being known. More current reviews, while not denying the game its solid foundation, mostly don’t want to recommend it in its current state.
2: Interstellar Marines
(Early-Access-Release: July 2, 2013 – Genre: Multiplayer-Shooter – Developer: Zero Point Software)
In the sci-fi shooter Interstellar Marines you are sent to alien planets and space stations to fight against genetically manipulated monsters from a first-person perspective. The tactical shooter places particular emphasis on cooperative multiplayer, so we can play through the entire campaign in four-player co-op mode.
Although a Kickstarter campaign for Interstellar Marines failed, the game entered Early Access on Steam. The developers hoped to develop the genre of first-person shooters with their game and drew inspiration from games like Half-Life, System Shock and Rainbox Six. Some players were also convinced of the game’s potential.
What about Interstellar Marines today? It almost seems like the developers have disappeared into the depths of space, as the last update for the shooter came at Christmas 2019. In fact, there are probably (Money problems of the studio) behind the game’s demise. Some players show understanding for the developers’ situation and hope that Interstellar Marines will be developed further after all. However, the chances of this do not seem to be good.
1: Folk Tale
(Early-Access-Release: May 30, 2013 – Genre: Strategy – Developer: Games Foundry)
Folk Tale is the name of the uncrowned king of Early Access perennials, having been in Early Access for a whole nine years. In the mix of city-building, strategy and role-playing game in a fantasy setting, you rule over a small city, take care of its citizens, and defend it against threats by recruiting soldiers and building fortifications. You also recruit heroes to help you explore the world around your town, traverse dungeons and defeat bosses.
While Folk Tale’s unusual concept managed to pique the interest of some build-up fans, even at its best only a few hundred players were active at any one time.
What about Folk Tale now? The developers’ plan to finish the game in 2017 and release the full version obviously came to nothing. In the meantime, any hope that the finished game will ever see the light of day also seems to have been buried. Because no updates or news about Folk Tale have been released since 2017. Meanwhile, the game is also no longer available for purchase on Steam. Accordingly, the reviews have slipped to mostly negative.
Which games on this list are you hoping for a final release? Have you tried any of them yourself? Let us know in the comments
