"Developers need to treat Early Access like a real launch, because players do" – Early Access games are on the rise, but so are player expectations

The number of games released through Steam's Early Access program has risen significantly in recent years. According to SteamDB, 2,924 Early Access games launched on Valve's platform in 2026 (as of mid-October), an 18% increase from 2025 and a 60% increase from 2020.