Now that I’ve covered just a handful of the upcoming indie games, it’s time to look at some games you can play right now, albeit in an incomplete form.
These next two articles will highlight games currently in Early Access that will, hopefully, be getting full releases sometime later this year.
As usual, this is by no means a comprehensive list; I can only talk about so many of the 3 million Early Access games on Steam before I go insane.
Here’s 18 Early Access games set to hit 1.0 in 2019:
Sunless Skies
Developer: Failbetter Games
Platforms: Windows PC, Mac, Linux
Price: $24.99
Lets start with a game that already has a firm release date. Sunless Skies is the follow-up to Sunless Sea from 2015, and takes you to the stratosphere in a flying steam locomotive. The game is set in Failbetter’s critically acclaimed Fallen London universe, and places a huge emphasis on exploration and text-based narrative. Sunless Skies will be leaving Early Access on January 31st.
Factorio
Developer: Wube Software LTD
Platforms: Windows PC, Mac, Linux
Price: $30
Factorio is a perfect example of Early Access done right. This strategy game is nearly complete, and has one of the highest positive user review ratios on all of Steam, sitting at 98% based on nearly 36k reviews. We have no idea when the game will finally be “done,” but you can already easily put thousands of hours into this gigantic factory management game about strip-mining alien worlds. There’s a free demo available too.
Slay the Spire
Developer: Mega Crit Games
Platforms: Windows PC, Mac, Linux
Price: $15.99 (Price will increase upon leaving Early Access)
On the subject of fantastic Early Access games with ridiculously high user scores, Slay the Spire should be done fairly soon. Last I heard, the developers were targeting a Q1 release for the full version, possibly as early as the end of January or beginning of February. Slay the Spire is a deckbuilding roguelite with tons of content, including multiple classes, a campaign, and daily challenges.
Freeman: Guerilla Warfare
Developer: KK Game Studio
Platforms: Windows PC
Price: $14.99 (Price will gradually increase as more content is added)
Freeman: Guerilla Warfare is an interesting sandbox game that includes elements of grand strategy, RPG, RTS, and FPS. You are a fledgling warlord in a country ravaged by civil war and strife. Raise an army, conquer territory, improve your troops and their equipment, and fight battles either directly as shooter, or by commanding squads via an overhead RTS view. Freeman doesn’t currently have a full release date.
Executive Assault 2
Developer: Hesketh Studios Ltd
Platforms: Windows PC, Mac
Price: $24.99 (Price may increase upon full release)
Executive Assault 2 is another blend of FPS and RTS currently in Early Access. You are the CEO of a megacorporation in the distant future. Build fleets and private armies to protect your assets from rival corporations. You can control starships of all shapes and sizes, as well as boarding parties, from both an RTS and FPS perspective. The game doesn’t currently have a full release date yet.
Ion Maiden
Publisher: 3D Realms
Developer: Voidpoint LLC
Platforms: Windows PC, Linux
Price: $19.99
Ion Maiden is a ’90s-inspired shooter by Voidpoint and 3D Realms. The developers are going all-out to recreate the look and feel of Duke Nukem and Shadow Warrior by going so far as to use an upgraded version of the old BUILD engine. Ion Maiden will be leaving Early Access Q2 of this year, and will be ported to PS4, Switch, Xbox One.
Amid Evil
Publisher: New Blood Interactive
Developer: Indefatigable Games
Platforms: Windows PC
Price: $20
Retro-inspired shooters are very popular right now, and Amid Evil is another one of them currently in Early Access. The game is inspired by Heretic, and its being made by the creators of Return of the Triad and the publishers of DUSK. While the final version doesn’t have a firm release date yet, it should be leaving Early Access fairly soon. Amid Evil will launch with 7 chapters, 5 of which are done, with the 6th chapter entering beta testing.
Elderborn
Publisher: Crunching Koalas
Developer: Hyperstrange
Platforms: Windows PC
Price: $19.99
If you want to get up close and personal in your old school-inspired first-person action games, then keep an eye on Elderborn. This first-person melee slasher promises a challenging, heavy metal-fueled dark fantasy experience, and is set to leave Early Access sometime between Q1 and Q2 of this year.
Troubleshooter
Developer: Dandylion
Platforms: Windows PC
Price: $19.99 (Price may increase)
XCOM-style strategy games are another genre getting a big revival lately, and Troubleshooter hopes to offer gamers a more anime-inspired take on the genre, complete with Visual Novel-style cutscenes and relationship building. You play as Albus Bernstein, a young “Troubleshooter,” that uses his super powers to help the police take on difficult cases. The full game is targeting a Q2 2019 release.
Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark
Publisher: 1C Entertainment
Developer: 6 Eyes Studio
Platforms: Windows PC, Mac, Linux
Price: $19.99 (Price will increase)
Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark is a Final Fantasy Tactics-inspired strategy RPG targeting an April release date. You control Arbiter Kyrie, an agent of the Immortal Council tasked with preserving peace and stability throughout the kingdom. Raise an army of followers from over 30 playable classes as you set out to destroy corruption brewing within the Arbiters. The game will also be getting PS4 and Xbox One versions.
Vox Machinae
Developer: Space Bullet Dynamics Corporation
Platforms: Windows PC
Price: $24.99 (Price may increase)
Vox Machinae is a multiplayer shooter where teams of corporate soldiers battle each other in ramshackle mechs. The game supports up to 16 players online, and is built with VR support in mind, but it can be played just fine on a standard monitor. No full release date has been announced yet.
Adeptus Titanicus: Dominus
Developer: Membraine Studios
Platforms: Windows PC
Price: $14.99 (Price will increase upon leaving Early Access)
On the subject of mechs, Adeptus Titanicus: Dominus is a turn-based strategy game loosely based on the old Titan Legions 40k spin-off game by Games Workshop. Control squads of Imperium or Traitor Legion Titans in skirmish mode, online multiplayer, and a solo campaign. Adeptus Titanicus: Dominus doesn’t currently have a full release date yet.
Deep Rock Galactic
Publisher: Coffee Stain Publishing
Developer: Ghost Ship Games
Platforms: Windows PC, Xbox One
Price: $24.99 (Price will increase)
Deep Rock Galactic is a co-op sci-fi shooter where a team of space dwarves explore vast, procedurally generated caves while fending off huge waves of insectoid aliens. One of the game’s big draws are the fully destructible environments, and the arsenal of industrial digging machinery at your disposal that allows you to approach objectives pretty much however you want. There is no final release date yet.
Maelstrom
Developer: Gunpowder Games LLC
Platforms: Windows PC
Price: $19.99 (Price may increase)
Battle Royale is still the big genre everyone is chasing these days, but Maelstrom is one of those rare “me too!” battle royale games that actually offers an interesting and unique pitch. The game involves ship-to-ship combat in a dark fantasy world, where the high seas are dominated by pirates and the massive underwater leviathans that often prey upon them. The game doesn’t currently have a full release date yet.
Thea 2: The Shattering
Developer: MuHa Games
Platforms: Windows PC
Price: $24.99
Thea 2: The Shattering is the follow-up to MuHa’s hit strategy game based on Slavic folklore. As with the previous game, Thea 2 combines elements of survival, 4X, RPG, and card games as players try to build a prospering society in a harsh fantasy world. No full release date has been announced.
Warparty
Developer: Warcave, Crazy Monkey Studios
Platforms: Windows PC, Mac
Price: $17.99 (Price will increase)
Warparty is a traditional, base-building RTS set in a prehistoric fantasy world where tribes of humans tame dinosaurs and other ancient beasts for use in war. The game is fairly complete already, with the next major stage of the development roadmap being a campaign mode. Warparty is set to release from Early Access Q1 of this year.
Parkasaurus
Developer: WashBear
Platforms: Windows PC
Price: $19.99 (Price may increase)
If you want more dinosaurs, keep an eye on Parkasaurus, a quirky prehistoric zoo management game. Just because the dinosaurs are colorful and wear sunglasses and hats that doesn’t mean the game is a carefree experience, as even a pink T-Rex with a sombrero is still a T-Rex. The game doesn’t currently have a full release date.
Tannenberg
Developer: M2H, Blackmill Games
Platforms: Windows PC, Mac, Linux
Price: $19.99 (Price may increase)
Finally we come to Tannenberg, the sister game to Verdun. The game uses the same mechanics as Verdun, but moves the action to the Eastern Front of WWI in 1914. As with the previous title, Tannenberg focuses on delivering an authentic and gritty depiction of trench combat during The Great War. Tannenberg is set to release on February 13th.
That’s all for today’s installment of Early Access games to watch in 2019. Tomorrow, I’ll return with 18 more Early Access games that should be getting a full release this year. Until then, which of these games are you excited about?
