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Steam introduces warnings for outdated Early Access games

6-2-2025

Translation: machine translated

New warnings on Steam show you whether an Early Access game is still being worked on or whether the last update was more than a year ago. However, the function is not yet fully developed.

Valve has introduced a new function for its Steam gaming platform that warns users about early access games that have not been updated for a long time. This measure is intended to help users make informed purchasing decisions and avoid disappointment when games may have been abandoned.

The new warning appears for Early Access titles that have not received an update for more than twelve months. The notice informs users how long it has been since the game was last updated. This transparency is intended to prevent you from spending money on games that may no longer be developed further.

Useful, but not yet fully developed

This sounds very useful and like a positive change. However, the function does not yet seem to be fully developed. One example of this is the game "Heartbound". According to the new Steam warning function, this game has not received an update for 13 months.

After eight years without an update, the game has probably been abandoned by the developers.
Source: Screenshot: Kevin Hofer

However, the function is apparently not yet fully developed. — After eight years without an update, the game has probably been abandoned by the developers.
Source: Screenshot: Kevin Hofer

Interestingly, however, there is an update note from January in the game's Community Hub and a reference to a patch released on 1 February: two clear signs of activity. This shows that the warning function may not always reflect the current development status of a game, especially if updates are only released in beta versions. Valve still needs to work on this accordingly. It needs to be clear what exactly counts as an update.

Another, more appropriate example is the game "Cavern Kings". It was released in 2014, but has not received an update for more than eight years. It's fair to say that the game has been abandoned by the developers.

SteamDB browser extension offers update display for all games

In addition to this new function, the SteamDB browser extension provides a helpful addition. Among other things, this extension shows the date of the last update for all games, which provides an additional layer of transparency. SteamDB provided a reference to this via Bluesky. The extension also adds links to SteamDB on various Steam pages and makes it possible to view the lowest prices recorded, the number of concurrent players and other useful statistics.

With the SteamDB browser extension you get some useful additional information.
Source: SteamDB

The introduction of these new warnings and the use of the SteamDB browser extension are steps towards a better user experience on Steam.

I only realised last year that many of the games on my wishlist were completely out of date due to the new age rating regulations. This regulation applies explicitly to Germany. Since 15 November 2024, all games must display an age rating, either by the USK (Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body) or by the content survey integrated into Steam. Alternatively, they will be blocked.

So the game "Cavern Kings" is not displayed for me either. I get the error message: "An error occurred while processing your request: This product is currently not available in your country".

Header image: Screenshot: Kim Muntinga

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