Steam Issues Warning for Abandoned Early Access Games: Stay Informed and Avoid Disappointment

Valve’s New Warning System for Early Access Games: A Step in the Right Direction

Are you tired of diving into an Early Access game on Steam, only to find it’s been abandoned and never receives updates again? You’re not alone. Valve has heard your concerns and is taking steps to address this issue with a new warning system.

A recent update on the Steam platform now includes a warning on Early Access game pages, indicating how long it’s been since the game was last updated. This warning is no longer just a general statement from the developer about why the game is in Early Access, but also provides a specific timeline for when the game is expected to be completed.

What’s the new warning all about?

The revised warning appears in the big blue Early Access box and provides a string of orange text indicating how many months or years it’s been since the last update. The disclaimer reads, "The information and timeline described by the developers here may no longer be up to date."

But what does this mean for you?

This new warning system is designed to help Steam users navigate the vast library of games on the platform, which now has over 19,000 new games released in 2024 alone. If a game has been in Early Access for a while, this warning will give you a better idea of when to expect updates or if the game has been effectively abandoned.

Example of the new warning system in action:

Take Project Zomboid, for instance, which has been in Early Access for over a decade. Despite still receiving regular updates, it doesn’t show the new warning because its maintenance is ongoing. On the other hand, Unsung Story, the Kickstarter project that once claimed to be the spiritual successor to Final Fantasy Tactics, has a label indicating it’s been abandoned for four years.

The Verdict:

While the new warning system is a step in the right direction, it’s still unclear what updates are substantial enough to reset the counter and how long it takes for updates to appear. Nonetheless, this feature is designed to help you, the gamer, make more informed decisions about which Early Access games to invest your time and money into.

Remember, it’s not just about the number of Early Access games available – it’s about quality and transparency. Valve is making moves to address these issues, and we can only hope it will lead to better experiences for gamers worldwide.