Best Early Access Games on Steam
Steam currently has 10,630 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 12/21/2024.
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 244,138 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 240,469 positive reviews and 3,669 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $3.49 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.
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 848,303 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 831,641 positive reviews and 16,662 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $3.99 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 131,234 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 128,513 positive reviews and 2,721 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $4.99 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 97, placing it in the #4 spot for the best Early Access games. Its score was calculated by analyzing a total of 139,047 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 136,077 positive reviews and 2,970 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.
5. Lethal Company
Lethal Company 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 459,056 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 446,697 positive reviews and 12,359 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).
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 291,990 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 284,429 positive reviews and 7,561 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 BeamNG.drive on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
7. Dyson Sphere Program
Dyson Sphere Program 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 82,930 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 81,004 positive reviews and 1,926 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $15.99 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).
8. Rhythm Doctor
Rhythm Doctor 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 20,627 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 20,305 positive reviews and 322 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $14.39 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.
9. Satisfactory
Satisfactory 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 216,825 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 210,561 positive reviews and 6,264 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $31.99 to play and can be played and ran on Windows systems. At the moment, it is possible to play Satisfactory on the Steam Deck (though some functionality may be limited).
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 295,503 reviews on Steam. This breaks down to a total of 286,555 positive reviews and 8,948 negative reviews — making it "Overwhelmingly Positive" on Steam.
It is priced at $14.99 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. (2024, December 21). Steam Store. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 21). Vampire Survivors on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1794680
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 21). Wallpaper Engine on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/431960
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 21). Slime Rancher on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/433340
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 23). ULTRAKILL on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1229490
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 20). Lethal Company on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1966720
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 24). BeamNG.drive on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/284160
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 23). Dyson Sphere Program on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1366540
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 20). Rhythm Doctor on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/774181
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 24). Satisfactory on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/526870
- Valve Corporation. (2024, December 23). Subnautica on Steam. Steam Store. https://store.steampowered.com/app/264710