Steam represents a new option that allows Early Access game developers to publicly state their planned 1.0 release dates, or alternatively provide broader timeframes for when their titles are expected to reach feature-complete status. The move represents a significant shift in how the platform handles Early Access titles, and complements another of Steam's recently launched features.
Valve has formally allowed Early Access titles on Steam since March 2013. In the following years, the company has gradually refined its approach through policy updates and new platform features. The most recent of these arrived on February 6th, when Valve presented developers with the option to list their planned 1.0 release dates.
Top 10 Open World Games to Leave Steam Early Access, Ranked
Steam Early Access is a great way for indie games to expand their audience before full release, which these open world games have succeeded in doing.
How Steam's new 1.0 release goal feature works in practice
The new Steam feature has been implemented as an entry form that can be found on the “Early Access” tab of the “Store Page” edit interface of an Early Access game. Here, developers can now set a 1.0 release target to indicate when their title is scheduled to leave early access. They can also choose the level of detail when communicating this timeline to fans, with four options currently available: exact day, month and year, quarter and year, or year only.
An example of the new “Leaving Early Access” label on Steam
Once the 1.0 target date and its level of public detail is selected, Steam will display the information directly below the prominent blue “Early Access Game” box at the top of the game's store page, just below the media gallery, and if the user is viewing the store page of a game they already own, a prompt to review. The release target will be marked with a self-explanatory “Leaving Early Access” label. If a developer has also filled out an existing Steam Early Access form — detailing how the final version will differ, how community feedback will be incorporated, and whether pricing will change after 1.0 — that information will appear directly below the “Leaving Early Access” line.
Current Steam granularity options for 1.0 release date targets
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Show exact day
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Show month and year only
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Show quarter and year only
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Show year only
Steam's newest feature has been added by popular request
By allowing developers to formalize 1.0 goals directly on store pages, Steam reduces information fragmentation and helps make those pages more informative. In a prepared statement, Valve said the new option was introduced in response to requests from current and former Early Access developers. The studios advocating for the feature claimed that clearer visibility would help existing owners and potential buyers better understand the creators' plans for a given Early Access project. Valve got serious about adding it after the launch of Steam's Personal Calendar in late October 2025, which made it realize that an entire category of highly relevant and potentially useful data was missing from its flashy new UI: 1.0 release dates.
Arrange the covers in the correct US release order.
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Arrange the covers in the correct US release order.
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While the newly introduced feature could potentially help improve the transparency of Early Access titles, its overall impact will still depend on good faith usage and the ability to meet publicly stated goals with some degree of consistency. For example, a developer could commit to a 1.0 launch date, month, or year, and then postpone their selection indefinitely. If the display window becomes a floating placeholder rather than a credible or realistic commitment, it can do little to clarify expectations and might even increase resistance to the current norm of offering no formal timing at all. As game development is somewhat unpredictable, delays are sometimes unavoidable, but the visible trail of successive revisions can still mislead players and highlight the trade-off between releasing objectives early and managing the disappointment that can follow when those objectives are constantly changing.
Perhaps because of these risks or for some other reason, Valve says developers shouldn't feel pressured to use the new feature to communicate their 1.0 release date goals. As one company representative put it: “When in doubt, wait.”
