The Rise of Early Access

Written by: Beth, Contributing Writer for Coolection

Published on July 10, 2026

Time to read 6 min

It seems like every other day in the gaming community we hear about another game being released into early access. Sometimes it's a small indie project, like the new life sim Paralives. Sometimes it's a large, ambitious project with corporate backing, like Baldurs Gate 3. But this wasn't always the typical way of doing things. If you go back far enough, it wasn't even an option. But I think we've come to place in gaming history where it's worth asking, is early access the new norm?

How Did it All Start?

It's time to take a trip back to the early 2000's, where this all began. Although Minecraft is often cited for being the first "early access" game in 2009, it was predated by Mount & Blade. Mount & Blade did not go through a traditional crowdfunding platform or an early access model, but it certainly started a trend. Due to the lack of funding, the development team released alpha versions of the game on their website for players to try out and provide feedback on (Wikipedia).

In 2008-2009, several things happened that really started to change the playing field. Indiegogo opened in 2008 and Kickstarter opened in 2009, two popular crowdfunding platforms that are regularly used to this day. Also in 2009 was the public alpha release of Minecraft, an "early access" title (Wikipedia). Kickstarter's first video game funding campaign launched on May 5, 2009, for the title "Farmlands" (Cliqist, 2016). However, the first successful video game funding campaign was launched later that month for the title "High Strangeness" (Cliqist, 2016). The winds were changing, and game development was beginning to become more accessible to indie teams.

Part 1: Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding as an online phenomenon began in the late 90's, with one of the earliest well known instances being the 1997 campaign by british rock band Marillion fans to raise money for the band to do a US tour (Wikipedia). This led to crowdfunding efforts via magazines and independent websites (Wikipedia). However, the first crowdfunding platform did not open until 2001.

Although crowdfunding was already available, the modernized concept didn't become really popular until the mid 2000's. In addition to Indiegogo and Kickstarters' launches, GoFundMe started in 2010 and Patreon joined the ranks in 2013. This was a way for people with the vision and creativity to take a shot at their dream even when they didn't have the fiscal means. Some of the most popular video games got their start via crowdfunding, such as Pillars of Eternity, Undertale, Kingdom Come Deliverance, and Divinity Original Sin 2. Not only did crowdfunding provide a means for artists and developers, but it also gave gamers a way to support projects they believed in, and be involved in the creation journey.

Part 2: Early Access

The term "early access" didn't get popularized until Valve's release of their early access program to Steam in 2013, although it existed before then in the form of crowdfunding and alpha releases. Within the next few years, Sony, Xbox, and GOG all jumped on the early access bandwagon. This approach to releasing games was becoming widely used for indie developers, but it was also attracting some AAA studios. For example, in 2015 the studio Codemasters released a partially completed Dirt Rally into early access to help them determine if they should go forward with developing the full game (Wikipedia).

When Steam first began it's early access program, it made 12 games available through it. Now in 2026, over 14,000 games have been released via early access on Steam alone (SteamDB). In addition to Steam, there are also early access releases via GOG, itch.io, Epic Games, Xbox, and more. Nintendo does not technically allow early access games, and although Playstation allows some early access titles, they do not have a universal program for it.

Early Access Blues

Although early access refers to games that are not complete, it is sometimes negatively connected to games that have full releases with many issues, such as No Man's Sky. When a game releases that is expected to be completed but clearly is not, it can feel like the developer has provided an early access game with a full game price tag and false expectations, eroding transparency and trust with the gaming community. This in turn can lead to negative sentiments about early access as a development strategy.

In addition to games fully releasing before completion, there is also the issue of projects that get cancelled or abandoned, which is something often seen in crowdfunding. Opting into an incomplete game involves risk; risk of the project running out of funds, risk of the team moving onto more lucrative projects, etc. Gamers have been burned many times by early access projects like Star Citizen and The Day Before, which puts a shadow over the whole concept.

A screenshot of a Steam early access game

Image from personal Steam library

Where Are We Now?

Despite early access being a controversial topic within gaming, drawing both fervent support and condemnation, it has continued to grow in popularity, as shown by the steady increase on Steam alone: 7 early access games released in 2013 up to approximately 14,600 in 2026 (SteamDB). Just as some studios have damaged the concept, others, such as Larian Studios, have shown that, when used correctly, it can be a wonderful tool for development and an exciting experience for players.

Early access has seen some incredible results over the years, such as Darkest Dungeon in 2016, Hades in 2018, and Baldurs Gate 3 in 2020. Titles like these have made a strong argument for early access to continue to be used responsibly, while shaming development teams that have clearly taken advantage of the programs or failed to listen to their communities. We continue to see many examples of "doing it right" versus "missing the mark". In the life sim community, we saw the highly anticipated INZOI release to lukewarm reception in 2025, despite being backed by bigtime publisher Krafton, and then the release of Paralives in 2026 to great excitement, developed by a small, independent team of 13.

To Buy, or Not to Buy

Buying an early access game isn't the right move for every gamer. Playing early access titles can be frought with frustration due to bugs, lack of optimization, crashes, and other technical issues. It can also mean not getting much play time with the game for awhile, depending on how much of its content is missing. For some, however, it can be a time of curiousity, exploration, and innovation. It provides an opportunity to play without concerns for real progression, trophy/achievement hunting, completionist runs, etc. It gives you time to just putz around, discover as much as you can, and share ideas and feedback with the devs.

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to buying - or skipping - early access games. Your approach to these games should depend on what you want out of your gaming experiences, and will likely differ depending on the game and your excitement level for it. If you want the most polished, smooth experience you can get, early access is going to cause more frustration than fun. If you want to see how many ways you can break a game because you have the spirit of a Quality Tester in you, then early access should be a blast.

It seems as though early access, and its predecessor and often companion crowdfunding, are here to stay, and will likely continue to be utilized more and more. Although this system can be manipulated and abused, I remain optimistic. I've been involved in many early access games now, and I have seen some truly amazing results from dev teams that care about their communities. I believe that early access, when used responsibly, can turn OK games into good games, and good games into great games, and I think anything that gives indie studios a means to build their dream is worth the headache of those who abuse it.