Steam Early Access (2013): players pay for unfinished games as they're built

In March 2013, Steam carried more than 2,000 finished titles, but small developers — many already using Steam Greenlight — lacked a formal way to get money and player feedback before launch. Valve wanted to let developers 'ship early, involve customers, and build lasting relationships' without pretending the game was done.

Sell unfinished games openly: buyers pay now, play while the game is still being built, fund the development, and their feedback gets folded into the finished product.

Valve opened an Early Access section on March 20, 2013 with 12 titles including Arma 3, Kerbal Space Program and Prison Architect. Unfinished games are sold at a set price with a visible Early Access label, then updated automatically as development continues; players can post feedback, guides and screenshots, and developers may discount early and raise the price as the game nears completion.

Early Access launched with 12 titles priced roughly from $6.99 to $32.99, and Valve's press release framed it as a way for the community to 'go behind the scenes' of development. The first lineup included Kerbal Space Program and Prison Architect, which grew with their players' money and feedback, and the release pushed the idea that paying for unfinished work was 'the way games should be made.'

On March 20, 2013, Valve added an Early Access section to Steam, its store of more than 2,000 games. The idea: let developers sell a game while it is still being made. Buyers pay a set price, download what exists today, and receive automatic updates as the developers keep building — with forums, screenshots and guides so the community's feedback becomes part of the development loop.

The launch lineup of 12 titles ran from small experiments to Arma 3, Kerbal Space Program and Prison Architect, priced from $6.99 to $32.99. Valve framed the section as a chance for players to 'go behind the scenes' of the development cycle, and developers gained the flexibility to discount early and raise the price as a game got closer to completion — early buyers effectively funded the work.

Valve's press release quoted developer Sean Pollman of Badland Studio saying Steam Greenlight had raised awareness for Kinetic Void, and Early Access would let the studio continue development 'while gathering crucial feedback, input and support.' GameSpot's coverage carried Valve's line that 'this is the way games should be made' — an explicit pitch that paying for unfinished work was a feature, not a bug.

The warning does the selling: an honest 'this is unfinished' label turns a flaw into a reason to buy early and join the process.

Players' money arrives when developers need it most — before launch — instead of after, which changes which games can exist.

Feedback is built into the product: automatic updates, forums, screenshots and guides make playing a form of work.

Pricing can rise as the game matures, so early buyers are rewarded for the risk they take.

Sell the process, not just the finished product: when customers pay during development, money funds the work and their feedback improves it — but only if the unfinished state is admitted up front.

Early Access outgrew its first 12 titles and became a familiar fixture of PC game releases, used by studios from tiny indies to large publishers to raise money, test design and build communities before launch. The model also produced visible failures — games abandoned mid-development or stuck unfinished for years — and competitors later adopted similar programs on other storefronts and consoles, making 'early access' a recognized business format rather than a Steam quirk.