Over the years, Steam has gone from being a simple yet hated way to update Valve’s own games to one of the beloved and popular storefronts for PC gamers. A big reason for this love is the continued evolution of the platform in both big and small ways.
Steam constantly rolls out quality-of-life updates to keep the store moving with the times. Now is no different; only this time, the update concerns something Steam helped popularise: Early Access.
First, let’s explore the two different ways early access can refer to a game:
First, it relates to a game that’s still in development, allowing players who choose to play the game while it’s still in active development. However, early access is also sometimes used when players are given the opportunity to play an already finished game slightly before everyone else—commonly used as a perk for pre-orders.
Steam is now offering players an easier way of distinguishing between these two very different yet same-named scenarios by rolling out the term “Advanced Access” to refer to an already completed game that offers players the chance to play it early.
According to Steam’s own description:
Unlike Early Access, Advanced Access is not a unique model of development for a game; it’s simply an opportunity to play a game before it fully releases on Steam.
However, this change to wording probably has less to do with improving transparency and more to do with fixing an existing loophole surrounding Steam’s much-loved refund policy.
Basically, when players received “advanced access” in the past, the pre-release playtime didn’t count towards the two-hour refund window that Steam uses, and now, along with the title change, that’s been fixed, too.
As of now, there is only one exception to the two-hour rule: beta testing. So, no matter how long you spend in a playtest for a game, it won’t contribute to your two-hour window if you later buy the game and choose to return it.
Alongside these small changes, Steam users will now be able to write and submit reviews during the advanced access period—another small change, but one that is very, very welcome—if not long overdue.