How to stream a game during its closed alpha: a checklist

Streaming a game during its closed alpha is not the same as streaming a finished game. The build is incomplete, the rules of the test differ from game to game, and your audience will judge the game by what it sees. This checklist covers what to check before, during and after. It also says what applies to the COLONIZED closed alpha, which has not started: its first waves are planned for winter 2026-2027.

Before you go live

1. Read the terms. Some closed tests are confidential and ask you not to publish anything. Others are not. The COLONIZED closed alpha is a Steam Playtest, which is not confidential, so it has no NDA. You can share it under the conduct rules of the alpha terms.
2. Check your access. Make sure the place and the key are yours. Do not stream with a key that someone sold or lent you.
3. Activate your key off camera. The key is personal. Hide the screen that shows it.
4. Check the age of your audience. The COLONIZED closed alpha is for people aged 18 and over.
5. Decide on the label. If you got codes, access or anything else from the studio, plan the label for the collaboration before you start.

During the stream

• Say what it is. A test build of an unfinished game, where progress may be wiped and features will change. Say it at the start and repeat it for new viewers.
• Keep your claims firm. Say only what the studio has announced. COLONIZED has not announced a release date or a price.
• Keep private things off screen. Chats, private messages, email and account pages.
• Report what you find. A reproducible bug report helps the team more than a complaint. The template is in what to expect from a closed alpha.
• Be honest about what you think. Nobody asks you for a positive opinion.

After the stream

1. Label the video. Add the collaboration label to the title, the description and the platform option if it has one. The steps are in how to label a collaboration.
2. Fix what was wrong. If you said something that was not right, correct it in the description or a pinned comment.
3. Do not run giveaways without rules. If you give away invitation codes, follow the guide for free giveaways.

What applies to COLONIZED

• The closed alpha is free and for adults.
• It is a Steam Playtest by invitation, in small waves, on a development server.
• It is a test build: progress may be wiped, and nothing carries over to the final game unless we announce it.
• Say “for the closed alpha” or “during the closed alpha”, never that the game is already in alpha before the first wave opens.

If you make content, the creators programme is the direct route. If you are a player, apply for the closed alpha.