How long did they say Early Access would take, and how long has it been? · 1,965 in Early Access · 2,362 promises read · 787 announced, not started
| Year | Games | In Early Access now | Graduated | Median time in EA | Promise read | Overdue | Promise kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1,005 | 993 | 121% | 1 month | 91091% | 28of 829 parsed | — |
| 2025 | 367 | 367 | 00% | 13 months | 31686% | 120of 273 parsed | — |
| 2024 | 176 | 176 | 00% | 2 years 1 month | 15488% | 90of 123 parsed | — |
| 2023 | 103 | 103 | 00% | 3 years 2 months | 8986% | 51of 71 parsed | — |
| 2022 | 73 | 73 | 00% | 4 years 2 months | 6488% | 40of 48 parsed | — |
| 2021 | 50 | 50 | 00% | 5 years 1 month | 4182% | 23of 31 parsed | — |
| 2020 | 43 | 43 | 00% | 6 years 1 month | 3888% | 18of 22 parsed | — |
| 2019 | 37 | 37 | 00% | 7 years 3 months | 37100% | 18of 21 parsed | — |
| 2018 | 21 | 21 | 00% | 8 years 1 month | 1990% | 10of 11 parsed | — |
| 2017 | 17 | 17 | 00% | 9 years 3 months | 1694% | 7of 9 parsed | — |
| Game | Promise | Promised | Elapsed | Clock | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fossil BoundFossil Bound | We currently expect Fossil Bound to remain in Early Access for approximately 12–18 months. During this time we plan to expand the number of dig sites, fossils, museum features, and gameplay systems while continuing to refine the core excavation mechanics based on player feedback.read 8 Sep 2026 | 12–18 months | 2 weeks | 3% | On the clock17 months left | |
| 星舰-DF星舰-DF | 2 to 5 yearsread 8 Sep 2026 | 24–60 months | 2 months | 3% | On the clock4 years 10 months left | |
| Seconds Until You DieSeconds Until You Die | 1 year (31536000 seconds until this game is not in Early Access)read 6 Sep 2026 | about 12 months | 1 week | 3% | On the clock12 months left | |
| Retail RevengeRetail Revenge | We currently expect Retail Revenge to remain in Early Access for approximately 6–12 months. This estimate may change depending on player feedback, development priorities and the work required to reach the intended quality for version 1.0.read 10 Sep 2026 | 6–12 months | 1 week | 3% | On the clock12 months left | |
| The ConglomerateThe Conglomerate | We anticipate remaining in Early Access for approximately 6 to 12 months. This timeline allows us to expand the content within the 'Studio' and 'Conglomerate' phases while refining the core loop based on player feedback.read 6 Sep 2026 | 6–12 months | 1 week | 3% | On the clock12 months left | |
| Brutalball Manager 2Brutalball Manager 2 | The plan is 3 months. The game is already better and more stable than BB1, but I still wanted time to get feedback and make sure there aren't any game breaking bugs.read 8 Sep 2026 | about 3 months | 2 days | 3% | On the clock3 months left | |
| Craft. Sell. Goblin. Repeat.Craft. Sell. Goblin. Repeat. | The current plan is around one year, though this may change depending on development progress.read 9 Sep 2026 | about 12 months | 1 week | 3% | On the clock12 months left | |
| Airline FounderAirline Founder | 3–6 monthsread 9 Sep 2026 | 3–6 months | 4 days | 2% | On the clock6 months left | |
| Code My Robot VacuumCode My Robot Vacuum | We expect the game to remain in Early Access for around 6–12 months, depending on development progress and community feedback. We want enough time to expand the game’s content, improve stability and balance, and iterate based on how players use the current version. If our priorities change during development, we’ll keep the store page and community posts updated.read 6 Sep 2026 | 6–12 months | 1 week | 2% | On the clock12 months left | |
| OshiYaOshiYa | We currently expect Early Access to last roughly 9 to 15 months. This is an estimate, not a fixed release promise: the timing will depend on playtest data, technical stability and the scope that proves valuable to the community.read 8 Sep 2026 | 9–15 months | 1 week | 2% | On the clock15 months left | |
| FunorbitFunorbit | I currently expect Funorbit to remain in Early Access for approximately 6 to 12 months. As a solo developer, the exact timeline may depend on development progress and community feedback. My goal is to leave Early Access once the main gameplay systems and planned content feel complete and polished enough for a full release.read 9 Sep 2026 | 6–12 months | 1 week | 2% | On the clock12 months left | |
| CRETA: Taskbar FishingCRETA: Taskbar Fishing | The game is currently expected to remain in Early Access for approximately 6 to 12 months. However, this estimate may change depending on the development process and the feedback received from players. CRETA will leave Early Access when its main systems feel sufficiently mature, its content and balance are ready, and the overall experience reaches a level that feels suitable for a full release.read 10 Sep 2026 | 6–12 months | 1 week | 2% | On the clock12 months left | |
| GIANTESS PLAYGROUNDGIANTESS PLAYGROUND | Many months to a few years. We have a lot of improvements and continue to expand our scope for the games "playground." We will not be leaving Early Access for a long time, as we want to add a lot of content and functionality to the Giantess community via this software (Custom characters via VRM Importing, custom animations as well.)read 8 Sep 2026 | 24–48 months | 4 weeks | 2% | On the clock3 years 11 months left | |
| Last Light: SurvivalLast Light: Survival | We expect Last Light: Survival to remain in Early Access for approximately 12 to 18 months. This timeframe allows us to steadily expand the game with new content, features, and improvements while carefully incorporating player feedback and ensuring overall stability and quality. Development progress may vary depending on community input and testing results, but our focus is on delivering a polished and complete full release rather than rushing the process.read 6 Sep 2026 | 12–18 months | 1 week | 2% | On the clock18 months left | |
| Guild Management SimulatorGuild Management Simulator | Guild Management Simulator is currently expected to remain in Early Access for approximately 12–18 months. This is only an estimate and may change depending on player feedback, development progress, and how the game’s scope evolves.read 5 Sep 2026 | 12–18 months | 1 week | 2% | On the clock18 months left | |
| Launch Window: 1961Launch Window: 1961 | The current plan is for Launch Window to remain in Early Access for about one year after release. This may change depending on player feedback, development progress, and the amount of polish or additional content that makes sense to add before the full release.read 8 Sep 2026 | about 12 months | 6 days | 2% | On the clock12 months left | |
| Cheap TattooCheap Tattoo | I'm planning on roughly six to twelve months in Early Access. That depends on what players ask for and how much of it turns out to be worth building, so I'd rather leave myself room than name a date.read 5 Sep 2026 | 6–12 months | 6 days | 2% | On the clock12 months left | |
| Life in red lineLife in red line | We currently expect Life in Red Line to remain in Early Access for approximately 12 to 18 months. This is an estimate and may change depending on development progress and community feedback.read 9 Sep 2026 | 12–18 months | 1 week | 2% | On the clock18 months left | |
| Path of the idle cultivatorPath of the idle cultivator | We expect the game to remain in Early Access for approximately one year. This timeline gives us enough room to develop and release the remaining Ascensions, incorporate community feedback into pacing and balance, and polish the overall experience before considering the game feature-complete. That said, our priority is making sure the content is properly tested and balanced rather than rushing to hit a fixed date, so this timeframe could shift depending on how development and community feedback progress.read 9 Sep 2026 | about 12 months | 5 days | 1% | On the clock12 months left | |
| Gridiron ManagerGridiron Manager | We currently expect Gridiron Manager to remain in Early Access for approximately 12 to 18 months. This estimate may change depending on development progress and community feedback.read 10 Sep 2026 | 12–18 months | 1 week | 1% | On the clock18 months left | |
| DEMO IT!DEMO IT! | We are aiming for somewhere around a year to eighteen months, and we do not plan for it to run beyond the end of 2027. That is an estimate rather than a promise. We would rather leave Early Access when the game is genuinely finished than leave it on a date we picked before anyone had played it. How long it really takes will depend a great deal on what players ask for once they are in — if the feedback points somewhere we did not expect, we would rather follow it than hold to a schedule.read 6 Sep 2026 | 12–18 months | 1 week | 1% | On the clock18 months left | |
| Rocket EngineerRocket Engineer | Our timeline for Early Access is dictated by our content milestones rather than a strict calendar. We anticipate development taking a couple of years. The first major phase will focus on polishing the existing 2D physics and resource systems based on your feedback, followed by the rollout of entirely new mechanics. We are committed to supporting Rocket Engineer well beyond its 1.0 launch.read 6 Sep 2026 | 24–36 months | 2 weeks | 1% | On the clock3 years left | |
| Load FactorLoad Factor | We plan to be in Early Access for roughly 12 months. That's an estimate, not a promise, we'd rather leave Early Access when the game is genuinely ready than hit an arbitrary date. If the game needs more time to reach the depth and polish we're aiming for, we'll take it.read 7 Sep 2026 | about 12 months | 4 days | 1% | On the clock12 months left | |
| First SinFirst Sin | Our current plan is to remain in Early Access for 6 to 12 months. This window gives us enough time to expand the open world, introduce additional shop types, refine the crime systems, improve AI behavior, and test new content such as vehicles, online features, and advanced missions. However, we prefer transparency: if the community requests more features or deeper systems than initially planned, we may extend Early Access to deliver the best possible full release. We will provide regular updates, roadmap adjustments, and detailed communication throughout the entire process. The goal is not to stay in Early Access longer than necessary, but long enough to ensure a stable, feature-rich, and polished final game.read 6 Sep 2026 | 6–12 months | 4 days | 1% | On the clock12 months left | |
| Town DiggersTown Diggers | Town Diggers will be in early access for approximately 18 months.read 6 Sep 2026 | about 18 months | 6 days | 1% | On the clock18 months left | |
| Arcaneering: Beyond AutomationArcaneering: Beyond Automation | We expect the Early Access period to last less than 1 year, with the exact duration depending on the amount of feedback we receive during Early Access.read 9 Sep 2026 | 0–12 months | 3 days | 1% | On the clock12 months left | |
| Tower LabTower Lab | We expect early access to last between 6 and 12 months.read 10 Sep 2026 | 6–12 months | 3 days | 1% | On the clock12 months left | |
| Road to Millionaire – InvestingRoad to Millionaire – Investing | We currently expect Road to Millionaire – Investing to remain in Early Access for approximately 12 months. During this period, we will continue to expand the game's content, improve gameplay systems, and polish the overall player experience. If additional development time is needed to deliver a higher-quality game, we will prioritize quality over a fixed release schedule.read 7 Sep 2026 | about 12 months | 3 days | 1% | On the clock12 months left | |
| Code: TerraformCode: Terraform | I currently expect Code: Terraform to remain in Early Access for approximately one year. This is an estimate, and the timing may change depending on player feedback and the progress of development.read 10 Sep 2026 | about 12 months | 1 day | 0% | On the clock12 months left | |
| Tales Of Glory 4 : RagnarokTales Of Glory 4 : Ragnarok | The game will stay in Early Access for 1 yearread 10 Sep 2026 | about 12 months | 1 day | 0% | On the clock12 months left | |
| RagNext StudioRagNext Studio | We estimate RagNext will remain in Early Access for approximately 6 to 12 months. This timeline will allow us to iterate on user interface enhancements, expand node/graph capabilities, and ensure rock-solid stability across Windows, macOS, and Linux export targets before our 1.0 release.read 10 Sep 2026 | 6–12 months | 1 day | 0% | On the clock12 months left | |
| PLATiNA :: LABPLATiNA :: LAB | We plan to run Early Access for 8 to 12 months, aiming for a full release in early 2026.the store says it leaves Early Access on 10 Sep 2026 | 8–12 months | 1 day | 0% | On the clock12 months left |
A game is in Early Access when the store lists it among its genres; the clock starts on the day the ledger saw it enter or, for a game that launched into Early Access, on the release date the store prints. The promise is the developer’s own questionnaire answer, kept word for word; only ranges and single figures are compared, open answers are listed as open, and answers the parser could not read say so. Graduations are recorded from 3 Sep 2026, so earlier years undercount them. A game whose questionnaire has not been read yet says “not read yet” under No promise (how). Data by SteamPeaks.com.