Steam cautions customers not to buy with new warnings for...

EARLY access has been a large part of Steam’s gaming model for years, but not all early access games are successful. Many smaller projects go into early access on Steam, and there are two main benefits to the system for developers. These games are usually sold at a reduced price, giving players a good deal, and helping the creators get a little extra money for development. It also gives developers the chance to read feedback from players as to what they would like to see implemented in the game.

Image Credit: The Sun [Shadowheart from Baldur's Gate 3 examining a glowing cube.]

Early access games are meant to be fully playable, but are missing areas or features that are intended to be in the final product. This feature has been used successfully for a number of games, such as Baldur’s Gate 3 and Hades. It can be an important part of the development process, and is useful for both developers and players. However, not all games are successful, and many projects are abandoned before they are finished.

Image Credit: The Sun [Illustration of a female character from Hades II casting a spell.]

This was the case with Peter Molyneux’s Godus, an ambitious god game that was never feature-complete and riddled with bugs. After having it in early access for years, Molyneux’s company 22cans cancelled the game, and Godus was removed from sale. However, this isn’t the case for all games that aren’t completed after going through the early access process. Many games are abandoned before they are completed, and the developer just quietly stops updating the game.

Image Credit: The Sun [Steam Early Access game information.]

There are abandoned games that can still be purchased, as the developer has just given up on the project. Steam has now added a warning on the pages of early access games to let players know how long it has been left without updates. The store now has a banner on all games in early access that explains what it is to customers. A note below the early access banner now reads: “The last update made by the developers was over xx months ago.

“The information and timeline described by the developers here may no longer be up to date.”. This is a new consumer-friendly addition to Steam that will help players better recognise which games are no longer receiving updates. If you want to read more about Steam, check out how PlayStation has removed PSN requirements on Steam. PC and Steam hardware and game reviews from our team of expert reviewers.