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Early access games are about trust. There’s no guarantee your faith in a given dev or project will pay off, as even the hardest-working and best-intentioned developers can fall short. Even so, early access offers an unrivaled chance to get in on the ground floor. It lets you play sooner, give feedback, and fund the next generation of inspiring games. The Nerd Stash has narrowed down the finest in the category, bringing you some exceptional works-in-progress. Here are the 10 best early access games of the year 2024.
10. Aska
If “open-world Viking survival” has you thinking Valheim, you’re not far off. Sand Sailor Studio took its gameplay in a different direction, however, focusing on settlement development and the recruitment of NPC companions. Watching your community grow from a single dingy hut to a sprawling, self-sustaining community is a thrill. With a procedurally generated world to explore, dynamic seasons to endure, and a tribe to lead, Aska is already robust and is only getting better.
9. Elin
Elin mixes roguelike gameplay with survival, crafting, and base management. The result? A chaotic sandbox experience where you can fish, steal, farm, raise children, or set up a cozy shop and let the money roll in. It’s like if Stardew Valley hated you and wanted you to die, and the learning curve isn’t forgiving. Stick with it, however, and you’ll discover a world richer and more complicated than most traditional RPGs. Lafrontier has plenty of updates on the way, but Elin is already one of the best early access games of 2024.
8. No Rest for the Wicked
Speaking of games that hate you, No Rest for the Wicked grants no rest to players. It’s a merciless isometric Soulslike as tough as any Erdtree boss, and its pitilessness is matched only by its style. Count on the Ori and the Blind Forest devs to create a precision-focused action extravaganza. The only things standing between you and (another) untimely death are your reflexes and knowledge. King Harol is dead, a pestilence is sweeping the land, and everything in Isola Sacra wants to kill you. Time to gear up and get good.
7. Nightingale
Nightingale had a rocky launch, but patches and the Realms Rebuilt update have gone a long way to expand and improve the game. With the fiddly inventory and crafting mechanics now smoothed and balanced, players are free to explore the Fae Wilds in peace. Nightingale‘s vintage architecture, precocious demons, and innovative Realm Card system make for a survival journey unlike any other. Flying on an umbrella Mary Poppins-style before blasting a monster with an enchanted shotgun will forever be fun.
6. TCG Card Shop Simulator
If you’re a fan of Magic, Pokemon, or any other CCG, you’ve probably daydreamed about owning your own card shop. TCG Card Shop Simulator brings that fantasy to life, but it’s not all lounging around and opening card packs. You’ll need to buy inventory, stock the shelves, cash customers out, and keep your store stink-free. Though it gets somewhat repetitive, Card Shop Simulator is already a brilliant “numbers go up” experience. Stressing out over fluctuating card values and giving exact change has no right to be so cozy.
5. Manor Lords
The city building and colony management genres are far from dead, but they haven’t seen a ton of success lately, either. Slavic Magic breaks that trend with Manor Lords. A complicated fusion of social and economic simulations, city development, and large-scale battles, Manor Lords can be overwhelming at first. From mastering efficient market layouts and supply chain economics to leading your troops in RTS-style battles, it’s a lot. If you’re a fan of Banished or Total War, this indie strategy gem is one of the best early access games you can play in 2024.
4. Enshrouded
In a banner year for survival crafting games, Enshrouded still stood out. It’s a joyous blend of action RPG combat, rewarding exploration, and highly customizable base building. Voxel terrain destruction means you can dig a hole in any old mountainside and craft a custom base within. The freedom that results is almost unparalleled in the genre, rivaled only by No Man’s Sky and a handful of others. Though its world still requires fleshing out, combat is already a blast with every class. If you’ve always wanted to dig your own Hobbit Hole, now’s your chance.
3. Palworld
Forget the lawsuits, controversies, and Nintendo drama. Palworld was already a brilliant creature-catching game when it first dropped, and it’s only gotten better since. Pocketpair fused survival, third-person shooting, base-building, and monster-nabbing in a way we’ve never seen before. Watching Depresso sink further into his feelings while hauling logs around our cartoon labor camp? If that’s not what the best early access games of the year are made of, I give up.
2. Hades 2
Nat Collazo, Senior Writer: Maybe I’m a little biased, but I genuinely believe that Hades 2 is a masterclass in releasing a game in early access and showing your players you are actively working on it. Fortunately, Supergiant Games already had success with the first Hades, making it a no-brainer for me when the time came to pick up the second installment.
I like to think that I’m rather picky about which early access games I purchase. However, the fact that the game has had a drastic major update since then, tons of art assets have been implemented, and general bug fixes and patches have come regularly has proven to me just how much care is put into it.
1. Path of Exile 2
Path of Exile‘s labyrinthine skill tree made it famous, giving players over 1,300 perks to mix and match with the game’s countless items. The result was a theorycrafter’s paradise. If anything, PoE 2 is even more heavenly. Yes, we’re still waiting for several item types and classes to drop, but PoE 2 is already incredible for early access. Few games match its depth, and with the roadmap from Grinding Gear Games looking this good, it’s easy to hope for the future. If PoE 2 continues in this direction, it should cement its place in the ARPG pantheon for good.
