Best Early Access Games on Steam
Steam currently has 14,539 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 11/4/2026.
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 266,638 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 262,107 positive reviews and 4,531 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 1,023,726 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 998,635 positive reviews and 25,091 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. 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 318,313 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 311,264 positive reviews and 7,049 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 158,306 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 155,163 positive reviews and 3,143 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 425,574 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 413,627 positive reviews and 11,947 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 247,122 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 240,564 positive reviews and 6,558 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $29.99 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.
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 281,612 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 273,899 positive reviews and 7,713 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. Subnautica
Subnautica 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 381,289 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 370,199 positive reviews and 11,090 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.
9. Lethal Company
Lethal Company 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 511,484 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 495,871 positive reviews and 15,613 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).
10. Rhythm Doctor
Rhythm Doctor 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 27,201 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 26,695 positive reviews and 506 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. 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. (2026, November 4). Steam Store. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com
- Valve Corporation. (2026, November 4). Vampire Survivors on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1794680
- Valve Corporation. (2026, June 12). Wallpaper Engine on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/431960
- Valve Corporation. (2026, June 9). Schedule I on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3164500
- Valve Corporation. (2026, November 4). Slime Rancher on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/433340
- Valve Corporation. (2026, June 22). BeamNG.drive on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/284160
- Valve Corporation. (2026, November 5). ULTRAKILL on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1229490
- Valve Corporation. (2026, October 8). Satisfactory on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/526870
- Valve Corporation. (2026, October 18). Subnautica on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710
- Valve Corporation. (2026, June 15). Lethal Company on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1966720
- Valve Corporation. (2026, November 6). Rhythm Doctor on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/774181