Best Early Access Games on Steam
Steam currently has 14,094 Early Access games available to download and play. Explore our list of the best picks ranked by Player Score. Our Player Score rankings are calculated directly from reviews left on the Steam store and will be updated in real-time as more players leave their feedback. Early Access game rankings were last updated on 5/14/2026.
Looking for free games? Take a look at the best free Early Access games on Steam.
1. Wallpaper Engine
Wallpaper Engine holds the #1 spot for "best Early Access game on Steam" with a Player Score of 97. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 979,639 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 960,376 positive reviews and 19,263 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $4.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is not possible to play or run Wallpaper Engine on the Steam Deck.
2. Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors has achieved a Player Score of 97, placing it in the #2 spot for the best Early Access games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 262,111 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 257,787 positive reviews and 4,324 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $4.99 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
3. Schedule I
Schedule I has achieved a Player Score of 97, placing it in the #3 spot for the best Early Access games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 297,565 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 291,241 positive reviews and 6,324 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $19.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Schedule I on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
4. Slime Rancher
Slime Rancher has achieved a Player Score of 97, placing it in the #4 spot for the best Early Access games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 152,991 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 149,912 positive reviews and 3,079 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $19.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Slime Rancher on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
5. BeamNG.drive
BeamNG.drive has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #5 spot for the best Early Access games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 392,817 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 382,745 positive reviews and 10,072 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $24.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play BeamNG.drive on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
6. ULTRAKILL
ULTRAKILL has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #6 spot for the best Early Access games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 227,091 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 221,224 positive reviews and 5,867 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $17.49 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
7. Satisfactory
Satisfactory has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #7 spot for the best Early Access games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 269,563 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 262,177 positive reviews and 7,386 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $39.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
8. Lethal Company
Lethal Company has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #8 spot for the best Early Access games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 507,256 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 492,188 positive reviews and 15,068 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $9.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Lethal Company on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
9. Subnautica
Subnautica has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #9 spot for the best Early Access games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 356,057 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 345,619 positive reviews and 10,438 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $7.49 to play and can be played and ran on both Windows and Mac systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
10. Dyson Sphere Program
Dyson Sphere Program has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #10 spot for the best Early Access games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 90,562 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 88,309 positive reviews and 2,253 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $19.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Dyson Sphere Program on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
More Early Access Games
Explore even more rankings for the 100 best Early Access games available on Steam.
Soures & References
Steambase has best-in-class data powered directly by Steam, our data partners, and in-house experts. Reviews and rankings are enriched, analyzed, and updated in real-time to ensure we surface the most up-to-date insights. Learn more about the Steambase approach to data collection and our review methodology.
- Valve Corporation. (2026, May 14). Steam Store. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com
- Valve Corporation. (2026, May 14). Wallpaper Engine on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/431960
- Valve Corporation. (2026, May 14). Vampire Survivors on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1794680
- Valve Corporation. (2026, May 10). Schedule I on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3164500
- Valve Corporation. (2026, April 30). Slime Rancher on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/433340
- Valve Corporation. (2026, May 14). BeamNG.drive on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/284160
- Valve Corporation. (2026, May 14). ULTRAKILL on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1229490
- Valve Corporation. (2026, May 14). Satisfactory on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/526870
- Valve Corporation. (2026, April 25). Lethal Company on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1966720
- Valve Corporation. (2026, May 14). Subnautica on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710
- Valve Corporation. (2026, May 6). Dyson Sphere Program on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1366540