- Zesty
- Jan 17, 2012
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The Great Twist
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What is Early Access?
Early Access is a business model that allows developers to release their game to be purchased before it's 1.0 complete so they can receive feedback and funding to help finish their games. The benefits for the consumer is... early access to the games, but also usually a discounted price for supporting development. It's almost entirely used by independent game developers. Some games using the early access model have been abandoned by their developers after receiving funding which has soured public opinion on the business model. This thread is to celebrate early access titles that show promise of delivering an valuable experience.
Games in Development
- Astroneer
Early Access Release: December 2016
1.0 Release Date: Late 2017/2018
Description: A third-person exploration survival with a low poly aesthetic. Players can collect resources to create new tools, vehicles, and modules to create everything from massive industrial bases to mobile rover bases in order to explore planets and moons. Scott Manley shows off 20 minutes of gameplay here
- Besiege
Early Access Release: January 2015
1.0 Release Date: 2017?
Description: A construction-based physics game where you construct medieval siege engines and conquer short scenarios. Updates come up every few months with new mechanics and levels. The game does not feature cloud saving which may be problematic if you lose your save file during the years it's in early access.
- Catacomb Kids
Early Access Release: February 2015
1.0 Release Date: ??
Description: A roguelike platformer. This dungeon crawler puts an equal emphasis on quick reactions, tactical engagement, and strategic character growth. The thing that makes this game particularly unique is how you are able to interact with the world. In a preview video, you're shown many things you can do with a simple rock. You can use it for simple things such as a thrown object in combat for a little bit of damage or throwing it near unaware enemies to cause a distracting sound or more complicated maneuvers like covering it with blood and using it to distract bloodthirsty piranhas. There are many objects with a variety of uses you don't typically see in these kinds of games. The developer regularly streams his development of the game on his Twitch Channel and is active on Twitter
- Factorio
Early Access Release: February 2016
1.0 Release Date: Early 2017
Description: Factorio is a game about building and creating automated factories to produce items of increasing complexity, within an infinite 2D world. You face the challenge of resource management and protecting your industries from hostile creatures.
- Orcish Inn
Early Access Release: Unknown. Available on their Official Website
1.0 Release Date: 2017
Description: Orcish Inn is a farming, survival and tavern simulation game in which you raise crops, brew beer and build a tavern for your orcish guests.
- Outer Wilds
Early Access Release: March 2015 (Free Alpha Demo)
1.0 Release Date: ??
Description: A pure open world exploration game, the player finds themselves on a planet with only 20 minutes of gameplay before the Sun goes supernova and kills them. The player repeats the 20-mintue cycle while exploring their solar system learning details of the gameworld to alter their fate. The solar system is a very small scale and uses proper orbital mechanics. The worlds you can visit are bizarre and unconventional and include a binary planet system that behaves like an hourglass, another world that is hazy giant briar patch with no solid surface, and another with a wormhole at it's center thats causing the planet to break apart into it. Many features in the game are based around the 20-minute cycle and some events can only be witnessed during specific moments in that cycle. Initially developed for the creators master's thesis, the game has become a full-production commercial release. It's development was fully funded at the end of 2015. This game is currently not available on Steam.
- PULSAR: Lost Colony
Early Access Release: September 2015
1.0 Release Date: 2017
Description: A five-player co-op space exploration game. Each player takes on a different role (Captain, Pilot, Scientist, Weapons Specialist, and Engineer) and must coordinate to fly their ship and survive on the surface of potentially hazardous worlds.
- Project Zomboid
Early Access Release: November 2013
1.0 Release Date: ??
Description: A Zombie Survival in an open world with a focus on realistic survival. You must survive as long as possible while dealing with hunger, thirst, illnesses, boredom and depression. Your vision is limited to what's in front of your character. Depression and paranoia can lead you to hear zombies scratching at the door that are not there... or see zombies as friendly survivors. As time progresses, the electricity and city water supply shut down, winter arrives and nature starts to retake the world as zombies become more and more prevelant. The Zombies can't run by design, but they don't need to. You will be caught off-guard or be unable to sustain yourself eventually. The Zombies have already won and you are one of the last survivors.
- Rodina
Early Access Release:
1.0 Release Date:
Description: Space exploration game in a full scale solar system. The player can travel in space, on planets, and in their ship with seamless transitions. The solar system is infested with hostile aliens. Explore with your vessel or walk around on planets. It has both dogfighting and First Person Shooter elements.
Salt
Early Access Release: August 2014
1.0 Release Date: Spring 2017
Description: An open world exploration game where you sail across an infinite ocean and explore the islands you discover. Fight pirates and bosses, loot rare items, hunt and fish for survival, and take on quests all in a procedurally generated world.
- Universe Sandbox 2
Early Access Release: August 2015
1.0 Release Date: 2017?
Description: Universe Sandbox ² is a physics-based space simulator that allows you to create, destroy, and interact on an unimaginable scale. It merges real-time gravity, climate, collision, and material interactions to reveal the beauty of our universe and the fragility of our planet.
- The Universim
Early Access Release: ?? (Demo Available)
1.0 Release Date: 2017?
Description: The Universim aims to revive the glory days of the god-game genre, and bring it into the new generation with fresh ideas and ambitious gameplay. With the powers of a god, you are unleashed upon the universe to begin forging your galactic empire in the stars. From dust to the cosmos beyond, your civilization will rise through the ages under your guidance. Yet, this is not the same static world you may be accustomed to, this is a dynamic, living world that is just as unpredictable as it is beautiful. Everything in The Universim revolves around dynamic gameplay. No two planets will ever be the same, natural disasters and other events can be triggered at any time, and the AI will react to the world in an organic and believable way.
Games that have their own thread
These games have their own thread on SA and you should use them instead of this thread for the bulk of discussion.
- My Summer Car
Early Access Release: October 2016
1.0 Release Date: 2017
Something Awful Thread 
Description: The ultimate Finland survival simulator with optional car owning, building, fixing, tuning, and maintainance.
 
- Subnautica
Early Access Release: December 2014
1.0 Release Date: May 2017
Something Awful Thread
Description: An exploration survival on an alien ocean planet. You were a minor crewman on a massive interstellar starship that crashed on this world while conducting a secret rescue mission. You can use your futuristic replicator technology to explore the world, excavate debris from your ship to learn new things to craft to help you explore deeper and deeper and uncover the mystery of what caused your ship's destruction. Combat weapons are mostly defensive and the game encourages sustainable methods of survival that aren't destructive of the natural world.
  [/list
- The Long Dark
Early Access Release: September 2014
1.0 Release Date: ??
Something Awful Thread
Description: A thoughtful exploration survival set in a frozen wilderness in the aftermath of a geomagnetic disaster. The game doesn't have it's own thread, but it's heavily discussed in the Survival Simulation Megathread.
 
Early Access Success Stories
- Kerbal Space Program
Early Access Release: June 2011
1.0 Release Date: April 27, 2015
Something Awful Thread
Description: A spaceflight simulator with rockets (or otherwise) you build out of modular parts. Because it released substantial updates regularly and remained mostly stable, KSP is considered one of the rare games to "do Early Access right" through and through. It's available on Steam and still regularly receives updates.
  
Need more?
Check out Steam's list of Early Access titles.
Want to help out with this OP?
Think the info here could use more information (some were very  ) or you want to add a game to the OP? Simply send me a PM or post in the thread and I'll add it.
Here's the template for adding new games:
code:[*][url=]
[img][/img][/url]
[b]Early Access Release:[/b]
[b]1.0 Release Date:[/b]
[b]Description:[/b]
[timg][/timg]
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