For some reason we keep letting games enter early access, and this week saw two more hit that stage of release, with both Age of Water and Bellwright moving access to the “early” column. Before you jump into the latter, please be reminded that the developers all but abandoned their last early access game, so that may be helpful information. The former may be wet. That’s all we got on that half.
Elsewhere, SMITE 2 set its first alpha date, which I believe means that this is the day you can officially kiss the game on its tiny little mouth. Steam also decided to make it slightly harder to get a refund on early access games, by which I mean that it’s treating “early access” the same way as “released” games in terms of refunds. So even less reason to take “early access” seriously, something that would be a lot easier if I didn’t spend the first paragraph talking about it! Life is hilarious.
Sadly, the game removed from the list below is one that I really wanted to talk about, but I feel like Bree would get out her cuttin’ knife if I made it a headline feature here, and she is quick with that thing. Like a cobra that has knives for hands or something. Let’s all avoid getting hit with the cuttin’ knife by reading the full list of beta news below and checking out our breakdown of games in testing. As always, let us know if something slipped to another test phase without our noticing!
Star Citizen says alpha 3.23’s personal hangars would have made the game ‘literally unplayable’
Steam is altering the early access refund deal – pray it does not alter it any further
Dune Awakening teases its movable, taxable, base-buildy but cozy player housing
Dune Awakening explains why ‘spice is power’ for this upcoming survival MMO
Palia’s spring-themed update adds new friendship quests, decor, seeds, and ammo pouches today
Bellwright brings its brutal medieval world of multiplayer survival to Steam early access
Nightingale confirms crafting and quality-of-life improvements with next patch
Star Citizen brings new race tracks and a first look at engineering to alpha 3.23’s Arena Commander
Pax Dei testing wrestles with stability and bugs, Abyss testing adds refinements and dragon attacks
Multiplayer survival shooter Vigor announces plans for a Steam early access launch in May
MMO shooter Line of Defense confirms a switch to UE5, lets former early access buyers set up private servers
Seafaring survival MMO Age of Water hits Steam early access, addresses premium perks
V Rising details gameplay waiting in the Ruins of Mortium, Valheim continues its Ashlands test
Albion Online has kicked off early headstart for its new European server – no more wipes
Kickstarted MMORPG-turned-TCG Genfanad gives up, will sunset April 30
Pantheon Rise of the Fallen talks pre-alpha Season 3’s new region and future testing content plans
Valheim brings the Ashlands update to its public test server, confirms the game’s nearly full release
Nightingale’s 0.2 update goes live this afternoon with new weapons and crafting QOL
We consider an MMO to be in open testing if it features free, public signups and will server wipe prior to launch. An MMO is marked in closed testing if it’s running a private test phase that cannot freely be accessed by the general public; it’s often under NDA as well. Early access and crowdfunded MMOs whose tests we deem legitimate will be included. So-called “open beta” soft-launch MMOs with cash shops, no sign of launch in the west, or limited interest for our readers will not be listed, nor will games that are NFT/blockchain scams; we also do not list expansions, with occasional exceptions. Finally, we’ll mark games “malingering” if they’ve been in a certain tier of development for a long time with no clear path to launch.
Abyss: Open preview, early access starts May 7th
The Adventurer’s Domain Online: Early access
Aero Tales Online: Early access
Age of Water: Early access
Anvil Empires: Intermittent alpha
Arcane Waters: Early access
Arcfall: Pre-alpha
ARK 2: Paid early access
Ashes of Creation: Alpha two in planning
Ashfall: Closed beta
ASKA: Closed beta
Battlebit: Early access
Battle Crush: Second global beta
Bellatores: Closed testing
Bellwright: Early access, developers of abandoned Last Oasis
Bitcraft: Alpha planned for April 2nd, 2024
Blue Protocol: Launching worldwide in 2024, technical tests starting November 8th
Book of Travels: Early access
Brighter Shores: Launch planned for Q3 2024, MMO scale not yet clarified
Camelot Unchained: Closed beta, planning to launch in late 2025
Chronicles of Elyria: Pre-alpha, again
Chrono Odyssey: Closed testing
Cinderstone Online: Closed beta
City of Titans: Alpha
Coreborn: Nations of the Ultracore: Early access
Corepunk: Early access planned for 2024, second alpha delayed yet again
Craftopia: Early access
The Crew Motorfest: Closed testing
Dark and Darker: Paid early access, legal troubles.
Dark and Light: Early access (abandoned?)
Darkbind: Closed beta (probably abandoned?)
The Division Heartland: Closed testing
Dreamworld: Pre-alpha
Dune Awakening: Closed testing, signups now
ECO: Early access, full launch planned in 2024
Eleven: Closed alpha
Enlisted: Reinforced: Early access delayed for an indeterminate time
Enshrouded: Early access
Eternal Tombs: Closed beta in April
EVE Vanguard: Second beta ongoing
Evercore Heroes: Paid testing, updates stopping with a focus on a redesign
EverCraft Online: Weekend-long open test starts April 19th
Final Stand: Ragnarok: Early access (officially, really)
The First Descendant: Crossplay beta
Fractured Online: Paid early access, back on Steam
Fractured Veil: Early access
Frozen Flame: Early access
Ilysia: Early access
Inferna: Early access
Kurtzpel: Closed beta
Legendarium Online: Paid alpha access
Lost Skies: Pre-alpha
Marvel Rivals: Closed alpha in May
Monsters & Memories: Intermittent pre-alpha
Mortal Exodus: Closed testing
Multiversus: Full launch on May 28th
Nightingale: Early access
Noah’s Heart: Beta
Odd Giants: Alpha
Once Human: Closed beta finally starting after delays
Outlaws of the Old West: Early access
Palia: Open beta
Palworld: Early access
Pantheon: Backer alpha, 247 canceled
Past Fate: Closed testing
Path of Exile 2: Alpha June 2024
Pax Dei: Closed alpha
Perfect New World: Closed beta
Pow Vista: Open beta (mobile)
Predecessor: Free-to-play open beta, yet another Paragon do-over
Project Crawl: Closed testing
Project F4E: Closed testing
Project Genom: Closed alpha (servers offline, abandoned?)
Project Gorgon: Early access beta
Project Loki: Closed beta
Project ST: Closed testing, open event ended
Prosperous Universe: Early access
Quinfall: Beta delayed to 2024
Return Alive: Closed beta
Reign of Guilds: Early access
SamuTale: “Paid closed alpha early access” according to the developer, which is just early access, come on dude
Seed: Active development
Seekers of Skyveil: Continuing alpha testing, open testing some time in March
Shadow’s Kiss: Early access (but read this first)
Ship of Heroes: Beta testing
Sky: Children of Light: Open early access
Smite 2: Signups open, first alpha May 2nd
Soulframe: “Pre-pre-pre-pre-alpha” testing wrapped up
Star Citizen: Backer alpha
Starbase: Early access open alpha
Tarisland: Second closed beta
Throne & Liberty: Western launch delayed into 2024, live in South Korea
Tombstone: Closed testing, release planned for this year
Tribes 3: Rivals: Early access
Trimurti Online: Stress testing, open beta February 13th
Valheim: Early access
V Rising: Early access, full launch May 8
Valiance Online: Closed beta
Vindictus: Defying Fate: Open testing
The Wagadu Chronicles: Early access
Waven Early access
Wayfinder Early access ahead of full launch
We welcome additions and corrections to this list; send your info our way via tips!
Yes, MMO gamers, you too can perform the unpaid quality-control work otherwise known as game testing! Check out Massively Overpowered’s Betawatch every week for a run-down of MMOs that are still on the road to launch, even if they appear to have set up a permanent residence in a shed called early access.
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