Best Early Access Games on Steam
Steam currently has 11,196 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 4/3/2025.
Looking for free games? Take a look at the best free Early Access games on Steam.
1. Vampire Survivors
Vampire Survivors 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 248,095 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 244,322 positive reviews and 3,773 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.
2. Wallpaper Engine
Wallpaper Engine 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 879,609 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 862,335 positive reviews and 17,274 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.
3. Slime Rancher
Slime Rancher 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 136,150 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 133,357 positive reviews and 2,793 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).
4. ULTRAKILL
ULTRAKILL has achieved a Player Score of 96, placing it in the #4 spot for the best Early Access games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 160,846 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 157,227 positive reviews and 3,619 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. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
5. Schedule I
Schedule I 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 44,698 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 43,956 positive reviews and 742 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, there is no confirmed information regarding Steam Deck support for this game.
6. BeamNG.drive
BeamNG.drive 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 311,753 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 303,722 positive reviews and 8,031 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).
7. Lethal Company
Lethal Company 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 483,117 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 469,778 positive reviews and 13,339 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).
8. Dyson Sphere Program
Dyson Sphere Program 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 84,397 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 82,425 positive reviews and 1,972 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).
9. Rhythm Doctor
Rhythm Doctor 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 21,026 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 20,699 positive reviews and 327 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $15.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows, Mac, and Linux systems. Valve has also verified it as playable on the Steam Deck and will run well.
10. Subnautica
Subnautica 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 309,284 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 300,096 positive reviews and 9,188 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $29.99 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.
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. (2025, April 3). Steam Store. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com
- Valve Corporation. (2025, April 3). Vampire Survivors on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1794680
- Valve Corporation. (2025, March 29). Wallpaper Engine on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/431960
- Valve Corporation. (2025, April 1). Slime Rancher on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/433340
- Valve Corporation. (2025, March 30). ULTRAKILL on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1229490
- Valve Corporation. (2025, April 3). Schedule I on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3164500
- Valve Corporation. (2025, April 3). BeamNG.drive on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/284160
- Valve Corporation. (2025, March 29). Lethal Company on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1966720
- Valve Corporation. (2025, March 31). Dyson Sphere Program on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1366540
- Valve Corporation. (2025, March 28). Rhythm Doctor on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/774181
- Valve Corporation. (2025, April 3). Subnautica on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710