Valve has quietly introduced a new feature to inform Steam users when a game in early access has not received updates in a while. This feature adds a notice to the game’s store page indicating when the game was last updated.
Steam’s early access is a program that allows users to play games that are still in development. This idea helps developers as they progress towards a full release while also enabling players to contribute feedback. While many games have been helped by early access, some games don’t make it out of development and may become abandonware.
Steam now warns about Early Access that have not been updated in months.🕵️ Tip: SteamDB browser extension shows last update for all games.
Steam’s support page on early access already informs players of the possibility that an early access game may remain unfinished. However, it is not always clear to the user when a game has been abandoned. This new feature should make it more obvious for Steam users looking to purchase new games.
This feature has yet to be formally announced, but SteamDB has highlighted its existence. Affected titles have a note attached to the early access box on the store page stating when the game was last updated and cautioning users that the information on the game may not be up-to-date. This warning reportedly appears for games that have not been updated in 12 months or longer.
However, this feature may not be entirely foolproof. As The Verge notes, Pirate Software’s Heartbound features this warning despite receiving an update recently.
