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Steam’s Early Access system is like an open beta where players purchase a game to gain access to it before its official release. That means developers find it difficult to treat Early Access like a simple playtest. Many developers wanted the option to provide a demo to a small number of players prior to entering Early Access or conduct playtests where they would receive feedback from players for a limited window of time.  

However, it is not easy for small developers to select participants and distribute beta keys due to tight development schedules as the process is not only time consuming but also demanding to manage.  

Valve launched Steam Playtest to make it easier for such developers to test their games. The system was launched as a beta in November 2020 and fully released in April 2021. It provides free tools for developers to run playtests before launching games. Steam Playtest allows time-constrained developers to spend less time on managing playtests and significantly lightens the burden of management.  

Developers can run playtests by recruiting participants directly in Steam without having to distribute beta keys. The playtests can be configured to be like open betas where access is granted to all who request it or closed playtests where access is granted to only a limited number of testers. In addition, playtests can be carried out in a specific country or paused and resumed. 

A Playtest does not require a separate store page and players can request access from the Playtest tab located at the bottom of the page. Developers are then able to grant access. Players that have been granted access get the test version added to their Steam Libraries so they can test the game.  

The feedback received during a Playtest are not reflected in Steam’s User Reviews, meaning that they will not affect the reputation of the main game. However, a Community Hub is available and developers can use it to get feedback from players, make announcements, or exchange thoughts.  

Valve said that the Steam Playtest feature “came out of repeated requests from studios” as “dev teams wanted the freedom to run a playtest without stressing about their user reviews or interfering with their wishlist numbers… but they also wanted the control to start, pause, and end their playtests.” Valve added, “We hope this new set of tools helps developers get closer to their players and make better games as a result.”