After games like Hades, players expect more from Steam early access games than they did even 5 years ago, Dead Cells creators say: "But that's fair, because, in a way, they are buying the game"

Windblown key art axolotl spear warrior.

Following the early access release and success of Dead Cells, developer Motion Twin returned to Steam early access last year for its latest action roguelike, Windblown, which is set to leave early access in 2026. The team always planned to do early access again, designers Yannick Berthier and Thomas Vasseur tell GamesRadar+, and also understood that standards have gone up since the early days of Dead Cells, in part thanks to runaway early access hits like Hades.

With more games coming out each year, and with the same few evergreen games absorbing more player attention and money, it can be harder for games to cut through the noise and reach players. One consequence of this is rising standards. If you only have time or money for a few games, but you have, conservatively, 15,000 games to choose from, you're going to be more selective.