Betawatch: Monsters & Memories hits early access and Aion 2 launches for founders

So, how do you feel about memories? What about monsters? How about Monsters & Memories? You can have a moment to think about it, but the aforementioned title is currently in early access at long last, managing to hit over 12,000 advance subscriptions in the process. Good work to all those monsters and/or memories involved.

Aion 2 is technically sort of also in early access, as it has launched for players who bought founder packs but not everyone else for a couple more days. But let’s not beat around the bush, that’s pretty launch-y. Although it’s not as launched as Minecraft Dungeons 2, which just launched with no qualifiers. Hey, if you like Minecraft but want more dungeons but also want more sequel than the original version, this is your game.

Was that too many qualifiers? I never know. Please don’t tell me in the comments. Do peruse our full list of beta news below and our list of games in testing below that, though, and if something wound up getting missed in the latter, let me know about that in the comments. In fact, there’s lots of stuff you can tell me about in the comments. Just not the qualifiers thing.

We consider an MMO to be in open testing if it features free, public signups and will server wipe prior to launch. An MMO is marked in closed testing if it’s running a private test phase that cannot freely be accessed by the general public; it’s often under NDA as well. Early access and crowdfunded MMOs whose tests we deem legitimate will be included. So-called “open beta” soft-launch MMOs with cash shops, no sign of launch in the west, or limited interest for our readers will not be listed, nor will games that are NFT/blockchain scams; we also do not list expansions, with occasional exceptions. Finally, we’ll mark games “malingering” if they’ve been in a certain tier of development for a long time with no clear path to launch.

Abyss: Early access
The Adventurer’s Domain Online: Early access
Adrullan Online Adventures: Open alpha concluded
Aloft: Early access
Anvil Empires: Intermittent alpha
Apogea: Open testing
Arcane Waters: Early access
Arcany: Early alpha
Arcfall: Pre-alpha
ARK 2: Paid early access
Arkheron: Closed beta, cross-platform test September 25
Ascendant: Open testing
Ashes of Creation: Early access, entire staff apparently laid off, in limbo
Ashfall: Closed beta
ASKA: Early access
Astrobotanica: Early access on February 16th, 2026
Battlebit: Early access
Bellatores: Closed testing, beta rolling out in South Korea
Bellwright: Early access, developers of abandoned Last Oasis
Bitcraft: Early access
Brighter Shores: Early access
Camelot Unchained: Early access
Chronicles of Elyria: Pre-alpha, again
Chrono Odyssey: Closed beta, launch planned for 2027 after latest delays/revamps
Cinderstone Online: Closed beta
City of Titans: Alpha
Cloudheim: Early access
Coreborn: Nations of the Ultracore: Early access
Corepunk: Early access
Craftopia: Early access, launch planned in 2027
The Crew Motorfest: Closed testing
Crosswind: Future testing events planned on Steam
The Cube, Save Us: Early access, free-to-play us
Dark and Darker: Paid early access, legal troubles.
Dark and Light: Early access (abandoned?)
Darkbind: Closed beta (probably abandoned?)
Dawn of Defiance: Early access
Drakanatos: Testing weekend running until May 24th
Dungeonborne: Early access
ECO: Early access, full launch planned in 2024
Echoes of Elysium: Early access
Eldramoor: Closed testing
Eleven: Closed alpha
Enshrouded: Early access, launch on October 15th
Eternal Tombs: Next demo in October
Etherwind: Open test on April 10th
Ethyrial: Echoes of Yore: Early access, 1.0 release planned for 2027
EVE Vanguard: Open alpha event, early access planned for summer 2026
Evercore Heroes: Ascension: Early access
EverRail: Early access
Fantasy Online 2: Early access
Farever: Early access
Fellowship: Early access
Fractured: Conquest: Testing in 2026, full reboot of Fractured OnlineFrontier Legends: Early access May 29th
Frozen Flame: Early access
Guild Wars 3: Beta coming fall 2027
Havenhold: Closed beta
Homestead: Open alpha
Horizon: Hunter’s Gathering: First test planned for the end of February
Hytale: Early access
IfSunSets: Early access
Ilysia: Early access
Inferna: Early access
Kalmia Online: First test event starts July 24th
Kurtzpel: Closed beta
Legend of Ares: Open testing ahead of relaunch
Legends of California: Alpha test starts March 26th
Legendarium Online: Paid alpha access
Life is Feudal Arden: Open beta
Loftia: Closed beta
March of Giants: Closed alpha
Magic to Master: Somehow, Palpatine returned in early access
Monsters & Memories: Early access
Mortal Exodus: Closed testing
Nightingale: Early access
Nin Online: Early access
Odd Giants: Alpha
Osiris: New Dawn: Back from the dead, not on Steam any longer
Outbound: Early Access
Outlaws of the Old West: Early access
Palia: Paid “open” beta, planning for launch in Q2
Pantheon: Early access
Past Fate: Early access
Path of Exile 2: Early access
Perfect New World: Closed beta
Petit Planet: Closed beta starting April 21st
Pioner: Early access
Pow Vista: Open beta (mobile)
Project Crawl: Closed testing
Project Friendship: Beta signups open now
Project Genom: Closed alpha (servers offline, abandoned?)
Project Loki: Closed beta
Project ST: Closed testing, open event ended
Project Zeta: Open testing
Prosperous Universe: Early access
Reaper Actual: Early access
Return Alive: Closed beta
Rodent Rumble: Launching next year, playtest on October 11th
SamuTale: “Paid closed alpha early access” according to the developer, which is just early access, come on dude
Sand: Raiders of Sophie: Early access
RF Online Next: Global launch in 2026
Scars of Honor: Internal testing
Sea of Remnants: In testing, multiplayer not available
Seed: Early access on July 21st
Seekers of Skyveil: Early access
Ships at Sea: Early access
Sky: Children of Light: Open early access
Skygard Arena: Early access
Smite 2: Open beta
Soulframe: Founders pack for sale
Soul’s Remnant: Early access
Spacecraft: Early access
The Spell Brigade: Early access
Spirit Crossing: Closed alpha, launch in 2026
SpiritVale: Early access
Star Citizen: Backer alpha
Starbase: Early access open alpha
Star Wrath: Closed beta
Stars Reach: Paid early access
Steel Aces: Closed beta, open access this weekend
Steel Hunters: Early access
Stormforge: Demo available
Subnautica 2: Early access May 14th
Synduality: Echo of Ada: Early access
Time Takers: Closed beta
Tombstone: Closed testing, release planned for this year
Torebia: Beta test starting May 29th for 10 days
Tower of Aghasba: Early access planned for November 19th
Tribes 3: Rivals: Early access, development slowing/stopping
Trimurti Online: Stress testing, open beta February 13th
Valiance Online: Closed beta
Vaultbreakers: Week-long open test through February 16th, formerly known as Project F4E
Vindictus: Defying Fate: Internal testing
WalkScape: Closed beta until June 15th
Waven: Early access
Windrose: Early access
Witchspire: Early access
World of Warcraft: Forever: Closed beta with paid access; launching on November 4th
ZeroSpace: Back in closed testing, early access on July 20th

We welcome additions and corrections to this list; send your info our way via tips!