What a Steam Playtest is and how waves work

A Steam Playtest is a free app that lets a studio test a game with a limited group of players, through Steam, before the game is on sale. The COLONIZED closed alpha is one: a Steam Playtest by invitation, in small waves, with the first waves planned for winter 2026-2027. This article explains how a Playtest works, why access is handed out in waves and what that means for you.

What Valve says a Playtest is

The description below follows Valve’s Steamworks documentation, read on 23 October 2026. Valve changes its tools, so check the current page if you are a developer.

• It is a separate app, free of charge, linked to the main game. It has its own build and no store page of its own.
• Wishlists, reviews and refunds of the Playtest are separate from the main game.
• Valve says it is not OK to charge for access to a Playtest, and Playtest keys are not sold.
• A Playtest is not confidential: Valve states there should be no expectation of secrecy.

Two ways to get in

A studio can grant access in two ways, and can use both at once.

	Sign-up on the store page	Playtest keys
How you ask	A button on the main game’s page	You receive a key and activate it in Steam
Who is picked	Steam chooses from the sign-ups, optionally by country	The studio chooses who gets each key
Needs a public store page	Yes	No
What you see	An email from Steam when you are added	The Playtest in your library after activation

COLONIZED uses personal keys. The reason is practical: a key lets the team reserve one place per player and know who has access.

Why tests run in waves

A development server holds a limited number of players at once. Letting everybody in on day one would crash the test it is meant to run. So the studio opens places in batches, called waves:

1. Choose. The team approves as many players as the wave can hold.
2. Open. The keys go out and the wave starts.
3. Measure. The team watches stability, load and what players report.
4. Close. The wave ends, and the team prepares the next batch.

Each wave tests something different, and the earliest are the smallest. Why the number of places is limited is explained in why places are limited.

What this means for you

• There is no date to wait for yet. The first waves are planned for winter 2026-2027. Exact dates and places per wave have not been announced.
• Steam will not warn you. Valve does not send a notice when a Playtest becomes playable. We announce each wave on this site and on Discord.
• Your key is yours. Each key is personal, and activating it takes a minute in Steam.
• You can talk about it. Because a Playtest is not confidential, the closed alpha has no NDA. You can share screenshots, videos and streams under the conduct rules of the alpha terms.
• It is free. Nobody can sell you a place or a key.

To get a place, read how to get a place in the closed alpha and apply here. If you make videos or streams, the creators programme has its own route. For the difference between an alpha, a beta and Early Access, see how closed alphas and betas work.