FridayPlaytests · Tech tests · Open betas

№ 3 · last week · 19 to 25 October 2026

3 of 120 launches had a playtest behind them

Every playtest, tech test and open beta on Steam last week, read morning and evening while the window was open. Below: the tests that drew the biggest crowds, the ones that created demand, what the testers made of them, what launched off a test, and who got signed.

playtests and betas: 31; playtests and betas
tests opened: 20; tests opened
tests closed: 27; tests closed
launches with a playtest: 3; launches with a playtest

Top CCU

The tests that drew the biggest crowds this week. CCU is the most people playing the test at the same moment, from two readings a day. Three kinds of test: a Steam Playtest, where players request access on the store page; a tech test, where keys are handed out off Steam; and an open beta, which anyone can install. Open or closed shows whether the test is running now. A week count means the test was here before and its number moved a lot.

HUNGERSELF-PUBLISHEDTECH TESTOPEN2ND WEEK

Combat · PvP · FPS

Peak 16,168 · 8 days read this week · 56,428 followers

351 reviews · verdict 49

Open and long running; not a window

Left! Left! LEFT!SELF-PUBLISHEDSTEAM PLAYTESTOPEN

Online Co-Op · Racing · Co-op

Peak 2,620 · 3 days read this week · no community group

286 reviews · verdict 93

Open and long running; not a window

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War IVPUBLISHEDTECH TESTOPEN

RTS · Co-op · Action RTS

Peak 877 · 5 days read this week · 93,167 followers

5 reviews · no verdict yet (under 10)

Launches 2026-12-03

Blind DescentPUBLISHEDSTEAM PLAYTESTOPEN

Crafting · Stealth · Investigation

Peak 300 · 7 days read this week · 27,148 followers

95 reviews · verdict 63

Launches 2026-12-02

Bladesmith Shop SimulatorPUBLISHEDSTEAM PLAYTESTOPEN

Management · Economy · Trading

Peak 239 · 8 days read this week · no community group

3 reviews · no verdict yet (under 10)

Demand created

Did the test win the game new fans? We compare how fast a game gained followers while its test was open with how fast it gained them in the four weeks before. A big jump means the test itself drew people in, however many testers were let in. Wishlist rank is the game's place on Steam's most-wishlisted list, before the test and now; a lower number is better. Ranked by the jump.

SublustrumPUBLISHEDSTEAM PLAYTESTOPEN2ND WEEK

Puzzle · Story Rich · Psychological Horror

+24 a day in the window · 8 a day before it · 5,996 followers now

Window 10-13 to 10-26 (14 days) · peak 212 players · wishlist rank 580 → 530

Anomaly Control SimulatorSELF-PUBLISHEDSTEAM PLAYTESTCLOSED

Choices Matter · First-Person · Realistic

+2 a day in the window · 1 a day before it · 1,106 followers now

Window 10-09 to 10-19 (11 days) · peak 32 players · wishlist rank 1689 → 1604

Verdicts

What testers think of the test. Verdict is a cautious 0 to 100 score of how positive a test's own reviews are, shown once it has ten; 70 or more is what Steam calls Positive. It tends to hold at launch: a Positive test launched Positive 82% of the time, one under 70 only 28%. Played verdict counts only testers who played for at least an hour. Key-activated is the share of reviewers who got the test free, which for playtests is nearly all of them. Below: tests that reached a Positive verdict this week, then tests with a launch date coming up.

The Ninth LegionSELF-PUBLISHEDSTEAM PLAYTESTCLOSED

Action RTS · Wargame · Real Time Tactics

Verdict 76 on 12 reviews · 2,172 followers

played verdict n/a · key-activated 100%

Meat Without MasterSELF-PUBLISHEDSTEAM PLAYTESTOPEN

Villain Protagonist · Horror · Action Roguelike

Verdict 74 on 11 reviews · 1,927 followers

played verdict n/a · key-activated 100%

miniopolisSELF-PUBLISHEDTECH TESTOPEN

Building · Relaxing · Design & Illustration

Verdict 72 on 10 reviews · 1,805 followers

played verdict n/a · key-activated 100%

TrainfortPUBLISHEDSTEAM PLAYTESTOPEN

Survival · Open World Survival Craft · Base Building

Verdict 82 on 148 reviews · none followers

played verdict 86 · key-activated 100%

Left! Left! LEFT!SELF-PUBLISHEDSTEAM PLAYTESTOPEN

Online Co-Op · Racing · Co-op

Verdict 93 on 286 reviews · none followers

played verdict 94 · key-activated 100%

Blind DescentPUBLISHEDSTEAM PLAYTEST

Crafting · Stealth · Investigation

Launches 2026-12-02 · verdict 63 on 95 reviews

27,148 followers · under the bar

DREADMOORPUBLISHEDSTEAM PLAYTEST

Lovecraftian · First-Person · Fishing

Launches 2026-11-09 · verdict 71 on 50 reviews

24,467 followers · at the bar

LoftiaSELF-PUBLISHEDTECH TEST

Life Sim · Cozy · Farming Sim

Launches 2026-11-03 · verdict 81 on 26 reviews

23,077 followers · at the bar

Probably Stolen - Cyberpunk Pawnshop SimulatorPUBLISHEDSTEAM PLAYTEST

Shop Keeper · Cyberpunk · Inventory Management

Launches 2026-10-28 · verdict 96 on 429 reviews

18,115 followers · at the bar

S.O.N.A.R. - Submarine Operators Not Actually ReadySELF-PUBLISHEDSTEAM PLAYTEST

Co-op · Funny · Online Co-Op

Launches 2026-10-29 · verdict 90 on 67 reviews

5,166 followers · at the bar

Launched, with a playtest behind them

Games with a playtest that went on sale last week. Copies sold is an estimate based on the game's reviews; a figure confirmed by the publisher shows first when there is one. Peak is the most people playing at once since launch. The arrow shows whether opinion held up: the testers' verdict against the full game's verdict now.

Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 4PUBLISHED

Shooter · FPS · First-Person

est. 1,235,600 copies sold · peak 1 players

playtest verdict 35 on 6,026 → launch verdict 77 Mostly Positive on 10,357

Launched at full price

Escape from PlaytimeSELF-PUBLISHED

Online Co-Op · Survival Horror · Horror

est. 46,200 copies sold · peak 1,652 players

playtest verdict 69 on 148 → launch verdict 66 Mixed on 1,739

Launched at 10% off

Holy Shroom!SELF-PUBLISHED

Co-op · Online Co-Op · Horror

est. 0 copies sold · peak 1 players

no playtest verdict → launch verdict pending

Launched at 20% off

Signed

Games with a playtest that found a publisher last week. We check every one every day. Seen is the first day the publisher was on the store page; unsigned on is the last day it was not. The publisher was added somewhere in between.

Safari-TVPUBLISHEDSTEAM PLAYTESTSIGNED

Online Co-Op · Co-op · Physics

Signed to Mercy Games, Blue Ocean Games · seen Friday 23 October, unsigned on Thursday 22 October

1,969 followers · 3 reviews · no verdict yet (under 10)

Toto's JourneyPUBLISHEDSTEAM PLAYTESTSIGNED

Relaxing · Dogs · Walking Simulator

Signed to Hanuman Games, Creata Games · seen Friday 23 October, unsigned on Friday 16 October

1,841 followers · 6 reviews · no verdict yet (under 10)

Bladesmith Shop SimulatorPUBLISHEDSTEAM PLAYTESTSIGNED

Management · Economy · Trading

Signed to NPC Entertainment · seen Saturday 24 October, unsigned on Friday 23 October

no community group · 3 reviews · no verdict yet (under 10)

Followers, rising

Unreleased games picking up followers faster than usual. Followers are the best early sign we have of sales. Each card shows new followers a day this week, the game's usual daily pace before that, and how many times faster this week was. The percentage is how fast the game is growing for its size.