Development stages

The Stages of Development are the milestones that many games go through as they are programmed and content is added. Not every game will pass through every stage.

Stages

Alpha

The alpha stage is the stage in development where a piece of software is not feature complete and/or fully tested internally. Not typically shared externally.

Beta

The beta stage is a stage in development where a piece of software is nearly feature complete or is feature complete while missing some amount of content, and is available to a limited number of external users.

Early Access

Early access is a stage of release & development where a partially complete product is made available for purchase or download while core features and/or content are still being implemented. Many development teams will choose not to release an Early Access version, but it can be used as a marketing tool.

Post-Release

After a game is released, content such as DLC and mods may be created.