Early Access Games We’re Watching Closely After Their Latest Patches

6 September 2025

You know what’s better than a freshly brewed cup of coffee on a rainy morning? Catching wind of your favorite Early Access game dropping a shiny new patch filled with bug fixes, feature updates, and juicy new content. It’s like Christmas morning for gamers — except it happens all year round. Whether you're a returning player or someone keeping tabs from the sidelines, watching Early Access games evolve is a weirdly thrilling hobby.

We’ve been keeping a close eye on a handful of standout titles that recently unleashed patches big enough to shake things up. Some of these changes are gameplay-defining, some fix long-standing gripes, and others? Well, they’re just plain wacky (looking at you, randomly exploding goats in fantasy RPGs).

So grab your favorite snack and let’s talk about the Early Access games we’re watching like hawks after their latest updates — because let’s face it, there's something oddly mesmerizing about seeing a game grow up in real-time.

What Makes Early Access Games So Irresistible?

Before we dive into the list, let’s chat quickly about why we care so much. Early Access is essentially game development in public. It’s like watching your pizza get made — you see the dough, the sauce, the cheese, and every topping choice before it hits the oven. You’re not just a player — you’re part of the process.

You get to gripe about bugs, suggest features, and occasionally, your feedback actually changes the course of development. It’s pretty empowering, honestly.

1. Hades II – Lighting Up The Roguelike Scene (Again)

Supergiant Games finally said, “Hey, wanna go back into the underworld?” and the answer from the community was a loud, collective yes. The original Hades was a masterclass in roguelike design, and the sequel has taken up the mantle with pride — and some fiery new additions.

🔥 What’s New?

The latest patch brought in tons of balance changes, polishing up combat mechanics and fleshing out weapon systems. Oh, and Melinoë? She's not just Zagreus’ sister anymore; she’s a total beast with her own magical flair.

Combat feels smoother, more tactical, and there are new enemy types that actually make you pause before blindly dashing into battle. The updates are frequent, responsive, and clearly fueled by player feedback.

👀 Why We’re Watching

Hades II is shaping into a sequel that respects its roots while boldly stepping into its own identity. With each patch, it feels more like a full-fledged title and less like a work-in-progress. Every update makes it harder not to log in "just for a quick run."

2. Palworld – Pokémon Meets Firearms (And Farming?)

Okay, let’s just address the elephant in the room: yes, this game looks like Pokémon with guns. But Palworld is so much more than that. It’s got base-building, survival mechanics, and now, thanks to the latest patch — seriously improved AI companions.

🛠️ What Got Patched?

Palworld’s devs recently dropped a fix that improved AI pathfinding (finally, Pals aren’t getting stuck on every rock and fence post), made enemy encounters feel more dynamic, and even added new crafting recipes.

Also, inventory management no longer feels like filing taxes. Huge win.

👀 Why We’re Watching

Palworld is teetering on the edge of meme-game and legitimate classic. The foundation is strong, and the devs are clearly listening. With each patch, the chaos feels more controlled — like an offbeat symphony finally tuning its instruments.

We’re keeping a close eye, mainly because we still can’t believe this bonkers game actually works.

3. Sons of the Forest – The Cannibal-Slaying Sim Gets Serious

Remember that one terrifying camping trip... where you fought off mutants and built a log cabin with your bare hands? No? Guess you haven’t played Sons of the Forest yet.

This sequel to The Forest launched into Early Access with high expectations, and while it delivered on the horror and survival front, the polish was... let’s just say, “forest level.” But that’s changing.

🌲 The Latest Update

The most recent patch added actual story progression — thank the dev gods! Before this, it felt like you were just surviving without purpose. Now, there’s more narrative meat on the bone (and less cannibal meat in your backpack, hopefully).

Base-building also got a quality-of-life overhaul and NPC companions like Kelvin are finally less dumb. Kelvin can now defend himself, and even contributes to construction more intelligently.

👀 Why We’re Watching

With story elements falling into place and gameplay getting smoother, Sons of the Forest is transitioning from survival sandbox to fully immersive horror experience. It’s one of those games where one patch can completely change the vibe — and the last one did.

4. Enshrouded – The Fantasy Survival Game With a Bite

If Valheim and Elden Ring had a pixelated baby and raised it on Minecraft juice, you’d get Enshrouded. This hidden gem has been quietly building a loyal fanbase, and it’s not hard to see why.

⚔️ What’s Cooking?

The latest updates gave the combat system a much-needed adrenaline shot. Attack animations are less clunky, enemy AI is upgraded, and there’s even a skill tree revision that opens up new build strategies.

Oh, and a bunch of new loot was added — because let’s be real, we’re all loot goblins deep down.

👀 Why We’re Watching

Enshrouded is starting to really find its identity. The world is lush, mysterious, and after every patch, it feels like there are more secrets to uncover. The devs are active, the roadmap is ambitious, and the combat no longer feels like a medieval slap fight. Count us in.

5. Voidtrain – All Aboard The Sci-Fi Hype Train

You had us at “interdimensional train adventure.” Voidtrain is one of those games that sounds like a fever dream. You build and upgrade a train... in space... while fighting off sky monsters and collecting floating resources.

🚂 Latest Patch Highlights

This one's gained momentum lately thanks to UI improvements, significant performance optimizations, and the addition of co-op features that don’t crash every 15 minutes. Small wins, big impact.

Also, your train (or “void engine”) finally feels like a real base of operations instead of a glorified wooden sled.

👀 Why We’re Watching

It’s weird. It’s whimsical. And it’s steadily improving. Voidtrain's latest patches show real progress, and if the dev team keeps adding depth to the world and mechanics, it might transform from novelty to necessity.

6. MythForce – Saturday Morning Cartoons Meet Dungeon Crawling

Remember watching Saturday morning cartoons in your pajamas with a bowl of cereal? MythForce feels like that — except with swords, magic, and procedurally generated dungeons.

🧙 Patch Breakdown

Biggest change? The overhaul to weapon balancing and skill cooldowns. Characters finally feel distinct, with their own playstyles and roles. They also added a bunch of cosmetic updates and accessibility features — always a plus.

The game’s humor and style haven’t gone anywhere, but with each patch, the gameplay is catching up to the charm.

👀 Why We’re Watching

MythForce is a vibe. That’s the best way to put it. It’s campy, colorful, and oozes personality. If the devs can keep refining the mechanics, this could become a sleeper hit for co-op fans. It’s not perfect, but it’s loveable.

Why These Games Matter

Early Access is like watching a butterfly hatch from a cocoon. Not every game makes it to release, and not every patch is a win, but when it works? It’s magic.

The reason we’re watching these games closely is simple: they’re not just throwing updates at the wall hoping something sticks. You can feel the intent, the passion, the love for the craft. And that’s rare.

Also, let’s be honest — watching Early Access games change is kinda like reality TV for gamers. Will your favorite bug finally be fixed? Will new content break everything you just learned? You never know. And that’s half the fun.

Final Thoughts

The world of Early Access is wild, unpredictable, and sometimes frustrating — but if you're into that rollercoaster thrill, it’s the place to be. These games are proving that with the right devs and a little patience, even the roughest diamond can shine.

So whether you’re hunting demons, building alien trains, or fighting off mutant cannibals in the woods, keep those patch notes handy. You never know when your favorite feature (or bug) will change forever.