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How to Join a Steam Playtest and Check Whether You Got Access

Request access from the base game’s Steam store page, then check that page or your email to see whether you were admitted. Access does not guarantee the Playtest build is currently playable.
Length2 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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Open the Steam store page for the game and select its Playtest signup option. For a limited Playtest, that requests access—it does not mean you have been admitted. Check your status on the base game’s store page, and look for an email from Steam if you’re added. Even after admission, the build may not be playable yet.

How to request access to a Steam Playtest

  1. Open the Steam store page for the game you want to test. Playtest signup appears on the page for the base game; it does not have a separate Playtest store page. Steamworks Playtest documentation

  2. Select the Playtest signup option. Steam’s documentation calls this action “Join the Playtest.”

  3. Follow the page’s prompt to request access. What happens next depends on whether the developer has enabled limited or open signup.

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What happens after you request access?

Limited signup

Limited signup is the default. Your request goes into a pool; the developer admits players in batches, and Steam selects accounts randomly from that pool. A pending request is not an error, but it also is not a guarantee of admission or a schedule for when you might be selected. Developers may restrict admission by country for server-capacity or latency reasons. Steamworks Playtest documentation

Open signup

With open signup, players are added automatically when they request access. If a developer changes a Playtest from limited to open signup, pending requests begin to be accepted, generally within a few minutes. Steamworks Playtest documentation

How to check whether you got into the Playtest

Return to the Steam store page for the base game and check the Playtest status shown there. Steam also emails you when you are added to a Playtest you requested. The status on the store page is the place to check if you are unsure whether an email arrived. Steamworks Playtest documentation

Why you may have access but still be unable to play

Admission and build availability are separate. A developer can accept signups while the Playtest is not playable, or leave the build playable while closing signup to new players. If Steam shows that you have access but the game will not launch, check the game’s Steam announcements and store information for details about when the build is available. Steam does not email players when the developer changes a build between playable and non-playable. Steamworks Playtest documentation

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If the signup option is missing

The developer may have hidden or disabled public signup, or may be distributing access through Steam Playtest keys instead. A key supplied by the developer is an alternative access route; a key is not automatically revoked just because the Playtest is marked not playable, though the build still needs to be playable to launch. Steamworks Playtest documentation

Steam says Playtests are free and access or keys must not be sold. Do not pay a third party for a signup, account, or key. Testing On Steam

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What to expect from a Steam Playtest

A Playtest is separate from the base game for records such as playtime and wishlist activity. Joining it is a way to try the test build, not a purchase of the game or a promise that the build will be available continuously. Steamworks Playtest documentation

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