is widely recognized as the longest-running active game on Steam Early Access, having officially joined the program on November 8, 2013

Why has it been in Early Access for so long? Unlike many games on this list, Project Zomboid has never stopped evolving. The developers are famously perfectionist. They spent nearly two years alone rebuilding the entire animation system and implementing multiplayer. In December 2021 (a full decade after launch), they dropped , an update so massive it felt like a sequel, bringing in millions of new players.

If we look strictly at the gap between the first time a game was available to the public (pre-Steam Early Access) and its official 1.0 launch, Kenshi is the undisputed king.

While Project Zomboid is the longest, several notable titles are breathing down its neck. These games have been in Early Access for so long that they have seen entire console generations come and go.

As of 2025, if you want to buy the single longest-running, currently updating, non-abandoned Early Access game on Steam, your answer is .

Around him, the landscape was a patchwork of history. To his left, a house stood with the sharp, modern textures of 2024. To his right, a fence flickered with the jagged lines of 2013. The developers, legendary figures known only as The Indie Stone