Early Access Release Archives

AppWizard

September 8, 2025

With Silksong in our hands, Steam’s new reigning wishlist kings are both kind of basket cases: The partially-released Deadlock and lawsuit lightning rod Subnautica 2

Subnautica 2 is currently the most wishlisted title on Steam, following Hollow Knight: Silksong and other anticipated releases. It is facing a legal dispute due to a fallout among senior staff at Studio Unknown Worlds, which was acquired by Krafton in 2021. The game was originally set for an early access release this year, but uncertainty has arisen after the replacement of key leadership figures, including CEO Ted Gill and designer Charlie Cleveland. The ousted developers claim their termination was unjust and aimed at avoiding a substantial bonus, while Krafton argues that they failed to meet critical milestones. Other notable titles in the wishlist include Valve's Deadlock, Battlefield 6, Borderlands 4, and Light No Fire.

AppWizard

August 16, 2025

As the legal debate between Subnautica 2’s publisher and former studio execs rages, the original game and its spinoff quietly receive small patches and big discounts

Subnautica 2 is facing a legal dispute after the dismissal of its leadership team by publisher Krafton, with former leaders alleging that Krafton plans to delay the game's launch beyond 2025 to avoid a financial payout. Krafton claims the game is not ready for early access and accuses the former leaders of neglecting their roles. The 2025 patch for Subnautica has introduced controller support, improved gameplay mechanics, and fixed various bugs, while Below Zero's patch focuses on enhancing the Snowfox vehicle's controls and reducing damage from terrain impacts. Both games are currently discounted by 75%. Subnautica 2 is now expected to enter early access in 2026.

AppWizard

August 14, 2025

Avakin Life hits Steam after 200 million users on mobile

Avakin Life, a social simulation game launched in 2013 by Lockwood Publishing, has over 1.5 million monthly active users and more than 200 million registered players. It has recently debuted on Steam Early Access, allowing players to experience features such as avatar customization, apartment building, real-time events, and multiplayer social hubs. The Steam version supports cross-platform progression, enabling mobile users to link their accounts. The game is available in 14 languages and is free to download. The development team aims to gather community feedback during the Early Access phase to enhance the user experience and maintain feature parity across platforms. A full launch is expected later in the summer of 2025.

AppWizard

August 8, 2025

Somebody spilled some Minecraft in this hardcore first-person RPG, and I love the result way more than I ever thought possible

The demo of Nox Mortalis initially disappointed the player due to its cryptic nature and frustrating melee combat mechanics, including a reliance on a parry system and the absence of a compass. However, after reviewing the in-game manual, the player discovered that crafting a compass was part of the gameplay experience. The game incorporates resource management, requiring players to gather materials like wood, coal, and metals to craft weapons and unlock treasure chests. The crafting system is intuitive, with recipes unlocking automatically as players collect materials. The demo allows for approximately four hours of gameplay, including exploration of side dungeons and the initial levels of a central megadungeon. The player experienced a satisfying progression, starting with basic crafting and advancing to more powerful weapons. There is concern about whether the developer can maintain the engaging gameplay loop in the full release, which currently has no set date, as feedback from the demo is being gathered. Players can wishlist the game and access the demo on Steam.

AppWizard

July 28, 2025

Grounded 2 launch times and release date

The early access release of Grounded 2 coincides with the 1.0 update for Abiotic Factor and the decorating experience in Tales of the Shire. Grounded 2 was unveiled during the Xbox Game Showcase in June. The launch times for Grounded 2 are as follows: Eastern Time (ET) at 12:00 PM, Central Time (CT) at 11:00 AM, Mountain Time (MT) at 10:00 AM, Pacific Time (PT) at 9:00 AM, and GMT at 4:00 PM. The full version of Grounded 2 does not have a specific launch date, but the previous game spent over two years in early access. Developer Obsidian Entertainment plans to release new content every four to five months, with updates expected to be longer and more substantial than those in the original game.

AppWizard

July 13, 2025

Krafton confirms Subnautica 2 leak showing that the publisher wanted more content for the early access launch, leading to delay and leadership ouster

Krafton has confirmed the authenticity of a leaked development assessment for Subnautica 2, indicating a need for more content and refinement before launch. The postponement of the game has led to conflict between Krafton and former Unknown Worlds leaders Charlie Cleveland, Ted Gill, and Max McGuire, with a now-deleted post on r/pcgaming calling for a boycott due to their firings. Cleveland stated that the game is ready for early access, suggesting a disagreement over the development timeline. Krafton expressed feelings of "profound betrayal" towards the former leaders, accusing them of neglecting their responsibilities, particularly Cleveland, who was alleged to have prioritized a personal project. Cleveland and the former leaders have initiated legal action against Krafton.

AppWizard

July 8, 2025

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3+4: Release Date, Release Times, Early Access Details For Xbox & PC

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 will be released on July 8th, 2025, for Deluxe Edition owners and on July 11th, 2025, for the standard edition, which will be available on Xbox Game Pass. Early access starts at 12am ET / 5am BST on July 8th and the official release for Xbox Game Pass users is at the same time on July 11th. The Deluxe Upgrade costs £18.00 and offers early access, bonus content including playable characters, additional songs, and exclusive items, but does not include the full game. The standard edition will be available at no additional cost for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass members.

AppWizard

July 5, 2025

Ratatan, the new rhythm game from the designer of Patapon, delays early access release in response to negative demo feedback

Ratatan, a spiritual successor to the PSP rhythm game Patapon, was showcased at the PC Gaming Show with a new trailer and a demo on Steam, initially set for early access release on July 25. However, the release was delayed by developer TVT Co. due to feedback from the demo, which received over 1,200 user reviews and 2,000 comments. The developers are reassessing their timeline to incorporate community insights before the final product launch.

AppWizard

July 1, 2025

Stardew Valley creator plays down reports he could help resurrect cancelled Minecraft-like Hytale

Riot Games has decided to cease development on Hytale after more than a decade of effort. The game, which began development in 2015 by Hypixel, was intended to combine mini-games from its Minecraft server with an RPG-style sandbox experience. Despite initial excitement and Riot's acquisition of Hypixel in 2020, the project could not meet expectations, leading to unsuccessful attempts to find new investors and resulting in layoffs. Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, creator of Stardew Valley, clarified that he is not actively pursuing involvement in Hytale's revival, as he is focused on his current project, Haunted Chocolatier. Simon Collins-Laflamme, the original founder of Hypixel, has expressed interest in approaching Riot with a potential investment proposal to revive Hytale, while cautioning fans to manage their expectations regarding the project's future.

AppWizard

June 27, 2025

Steam’s “Early Access” is no longer what it used to be — has it failed gamers?

Valve's "Early Access" initiative on Steam currently features 14,056 titles. Successful games like Kerbal Space Program, ARMA 3, Prison Architect, and Kenshi have received positive reviews. However, many players have become disillusioned with the program, particularly due to experiences like the prolonged development of DayZ, which spent nearly five years in Early Access. The program's guidelines require developers to maintain transparency and accountability, but some exploit these rules for financial gain without completing their projects. The Early Access program is intended to gather player feedback, provide funding, and support development, but issues with unfinished games and unmet promises have raised concerns about its integrity.