I’ve spent a lot of years as a game guide writer, and along the way, I’ve learned a few tricks for identifying early access titles and demos. Like test-driving a car, I like to know what I’m getting in advance. Here’s how I get early access to games—and how you can, too.
Subscribing to newsletters
I’m the last person who wants annoying spam mail in my email, but subscribing to newsletters has helped me get some early access games first. That’s how I got into Spellbreak’s closed beta in 2019. The same can work for you, but it’s best to do it in an organized way.
To keep everything nice and organized, I used Gmail to create labels where each newsletter subscription sends its junk. Sometimes it’ll be ads, sometimes it’ll be something worth checking out. If you want, you can unsubscribe from the newsletter if you’re not getting anything good. I recommend going one step further with a simple email.
Supporting Crowdfunding Projects
Crowdfunding projects are another great way to get early access and demos to games. Now, it’s worth noting that unlike Steam, you have to put your trust on the line a bit with crowdfunding projects. In my mind, Pillars of Eternity is a perfect example of this great phenomenon – if you donated enough you get early access to the beta (and it was at a pretty affordable price in my opinion).
It’s a great way to get in on the ground floor of a game in development. In fact, your participation can have an impact on the game. Sometimes your input can lead to a completely new feature!
Before all of that though, recognising the scam on GoFundMe should be your first step, which you can apply equally to any crowdfunding site in general. It’s also worth noting that donating does not necessarily mean you’ll get early access. Always read the fine print!
Pre-ordering games
Although I’m a hypocrite for doing this myself, the few times I’ve pre-ordered games, they usually offered early access. Starfield and Diablo 4 were two games I pre-ordered, and I remember pre-ordering them a few days before everyone else. Putting aside the dirty tricks used to pre-order games earlier, it’s still a viable option to get early access.
If this sways your opinion, there are a few things to keep in mind. For starters, make sure you’re pre-ordering well before the early access start date. Finally, you may face server issues and bugs, assuming you don’t benefit from the day one patches.
Checking out online storefronts
Instead of letting early access games and demos come to you, why don’t you go to them? From Android to PC, online storefronts have varying degrees of options for these kinds of experiences, including alphas and betas to sign up for.
Steam and GOG are both perfect for works in progress, especially the first ones. Steam has demos and early access titles as tags under the category drop-menu. GOG also has the early access tag, but you’ll have to use the search function to find the demos.
On consoles, the options are a little less. At least in my experience, it’s much easier to find demos and early access games on PC. The same goes for games on Google Play or the App Store. However, mobile games are free-to-play anyway, so they’ll always feel like they’re being developed over time.
However, before you enroll in an early access program, make sure you’re aware of the pros and cons of early access games.
Whether you’re impatient or just want to experience games as they develop over time, finding Early Access titles and demos isn’t difficult. Personally, I usually use online storefronts, but I’ve used each of these methods at one time or another.