{"games":[{"path":"/games/videoball/","rank":1,"slug":"videoball","title":"Videoball","urlSlug":"videoball","value":"Earliest form appears to have been internal prototype work around one-button RTS abstractions, eventually transforming into a one-stick/one-button sports field with triangles, balls, and charged projectiles. Sources: https://www.pcgamer.com/hands-on-with-videoball-a-local-multiplayer-electronic-sport-for-the-living-room/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/277390/VIDEOBALL/."},{"path":"/games/rocketleague/","rank":2,"slug":"rocketLeague","title":"Rocket League","urlSlug":"rocketleague","value":"The earliest visible playable form was Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars on PlayStation 3, followed by a focused Rocket League prototype that improved camera, readability, online play, and feel. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-strange-and-inspiring-origins-of-psyonix-s-i-rocket-league-i-; https://store.steampowered.com/app/252950/Rocket_League/."},{"path":"/games/killerqueenarcade/","rank":3,"slug":"killerQueenArcade","title":"Killer Queen Arcade","urlSlug":"killerqueenarcade","value":"Earliest public form was a physical team field game with foam/cardboard swords, crowns, buckets/balls, quick 2-3 minute rounds, and multiple win conditions; later video prototypes reportedly used 12 NES USB controllers before the cabinet. Sources: https://killerqueenarcade.com/fieldgame; https://medium.com/@alanwdang/an-introduction-to-everything-killer-queen-arcade-ad6034be047f; https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/road-to-the-igf-joshua-debonis-and-nikita-mikros-i-killer-queen-i-."},{"path":"/games/nidhogg/","rank":4,"slug":"nidhogg","title":"Nidhogg","urlSlug":"nidhogg","value":"The earliest visible playable form was Raging Hadron, the early exhibition build of the tug-of-war fencing game. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://venuspatrol.com/2014/01/beast-emerges-qa-nidhogg-creator-messhof/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/94400/Nidhogg/."},{"path":"/games/ftlfasterthanlight/","rank":5,"slug":"ftlFasterThanLight","title":"FTL: Faster Than Light","urlSlug":"ftlfasterthanlight","value":"The public-facing earliest forms appear to have been competition and Kickstarter-era playable builds rather than a\nhidden vertical slice for publishers. Game Developer reported IGF China/IGF/IndieCade recognition before launch, and\nMa said Kickstarter beta backers created thousands of beta testers who helped cut weak content and improve the game.\nSources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/kickstarter-contests-bring-i-ftl-i-to-life;\nhttps://www.backerkit.com/projects/64409699/ftl-faster-than-light."},{"path":"/games/rounds/","rank":6,"slug":"rounds","title":"ROUNDS","urlSlug":"rounds","value":"The earliest visible playable form was the public Steam build/launch form; no separate widely cited public prototype name was found in the reviewed sources. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://landfall.se/rounds; https://store.steampowered.com/app/1557740/ROUNDS/."},{"path":"/games/intothebreach/","rank":7,"slug":"intoTheBreach","title":"Into the Breach","urlSlug":"intothebreach","value":"The earliest playable forms were internal small pieces rather than one giant vertical slice; Davis said they avoid\nbuilding complex systems on faith and instead make small pieces fun and playable immediately. A GDC Vault abstract\nsays the game took four long years after FTL and involved early drafts, cut content, iteration, and final balancing\ndecisions. Sources:\nhttps://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/how-subset-games-made-the-jump-from-i-ftl-i-to-i-into-the-breach-i-;\nhttps://www.gdcvault.com/play/1025772/-Into-the-Breach-Design."},{"path":"/games/towerfallascension/","rank":8,"slug":"towerFallAscension","title":"TowerFall Ascension","urlSlug":"towerfallascension","value":"The earliest visible playable form was a June 2012 game-jam prototype that moved from single-player archery/platforming toward local multiplayer combat. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/the-magic-of-i-towerfall-i-depth-simplicity-community; https://store.steampowered.com/app/251470/TowerFall_Ascension/."},{"path":"/games/duckgame/","rank":9,"slug":"duckGame","title":"Duck Game","urlSlug":"duckgame","value":"The earliest visible playable form was the OUYA release, followed by a larger Steam/PC release with online multiplayer and content expansion. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://gamecritics.com/john-vanderhoef/an-interview-with-duck-game-developer-landon-podbielski/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/312530/Duck_Game/."},{"path":"/games/limbo/","rank":10,"slug":"limbo","title":"LIMBO","urlSlug":"limbo","value":"LIMBO's early form appears to have been an evolving concept and prototype process rather than a fixed design document;\nJensen said the team worked through themes and prototypes, with no traditional design document. The game stayed\nflexible very late, with new ideas still arriving close to completion. Sources:\nhttps://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/hanging-in-limbo."},{"path":"/games/inside/","rank":11,"slug":"inside","title":"INSIDE","urlSlug":"inside","value":"The earliest public shape was 'Project 2' and later Microsoft/E3-era demonstrations, but internally it appears to have\nfollowed Playdead's prototype-first process rather than a fixed design document. The official presentations catalog\nalso shows a deep technical R\u0026D culture around rendering, audio, animation, and the final creature sequence. Sources:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside_(video_game);\nhttps://blog.playdead.com/articles/inside_presentations/inside_publications.html;\nhttps://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/hanging-in-limbo."},{"path":"/games/ultimatechickenhorse/","rank":12,"slug":"ultimateChickenHorse","title":"Ultimate Chicken Horse","urlSlug":"ultimatechickenhorse","value":"The earliest visible playable form was the game-jam build that became the basis for the studio’s first commercial release. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://www.cleverendeavourgames.com/about-us; https://store.steampowered.com/app/386940/Ultimate_Chicken_Horse/."},{"path":"/games/lethalleagueblaze/","rank":13,"slug":"lethalLeagueBlaze","title":"Lethal League Blaze","urlSlug":"lethalleagueblaze","value":"The earliest visible playable form was the original Lethal League prototype and 2014 commercial game before Blaze expanded the idea. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://team-reptile.com/category/lethal-league/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/553310/Lethal_League_Blaze/."},{"path":"/games/planetoflana/","rank":14,"slug":"planetOfLana","title":"Planet of Lana","urlSlug":"planetoflana","value":"The earliest form appears to have been style frames and prototypes rather than a polished playable demo; the project\nbegan with finished-looking concept images, then initially explored 2D characters, 2D parallax worlds, and grid-based\nmovement. After harsh but useful publisher feedback, the team scrapped parts of that approach and moved toward 2.5D/3D\nelements. Sources:\nhttps://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/exploring-the-art-and-animation-behind-hand-painted-odyssey-i-planet-of-lana-i-."},{"path":"/games/killerqueenblack/","rank":15,"slug":"killerQueenBlack","title":"Killer Queen Black","urlSlug":"killerqueenblack","value":"The earliest visible playable form was public demo/reveal builds for Switch/PC, built as an 8-player digital interpretation rather than the original 10-player cabinet game. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/-i-killer-queen-black-i-to-end-service-in-november-due-to-gamesparks-shutdown; https://store.steampowered.com/app/663670/Killer_Queen_Black/."},{"path":"/games/brawlhalla/","rank":16,"slug":"brawlhalla","title":"Brawlhalla","urlSlug":"brawlhalla","value":"The earliest visible playable form was closed beta with a small player pool before broad PC/console/mobile rollout. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/article/MvVxfuQT6SZ5XnlJY8Pgp/brawlhalla-celebrates-100-million-lifetime-players-with-ingame-event; https://store.steampowered.com/app/291550/Brawlhalla/."},{"path":"/games/amongus/","rank":17,"slug":"amongUs","title":"Among Us","urlSlug":"amongus","value":"The earliest visible playable form was the initial 2018 mobile/PC release before the 2020 creator-driven breakout. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://www.innersloth.com/games/among-us/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/945360/Among_Us/."},{"path":"/games/repo/","rank":18,"slug":"repo","title":"R.E.P.O.","urlSlug":"repo","value":"The earliest visible playable form was the February 2025 Steam Early Access release, following semiwork’s prior public studio work such as VOIDIGO. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://semiwork.se/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/3241660/REPO/."},{"path":"/games/peak/","rank":19,"slug":"peak","title":"PEAK","urlSlug":"peak","value":"The earliest visible playable form was a focused co-op climbing prototype that became the June 2025 Steam release. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://www.polygon.com/gaming/611853/peak-steam-game-sales-survival-game-making-of-development/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/3527290/PEAK/."},{"path":"/games/mecchachameleon/","rank":20,"slug":"mecchaChameleon","title":"MECCHA CHAMELEON","urlSlug":"mecchachameleon","value":"The earliest visible playable form was the June 2026 Steam release, with public matches and streaming positioned directly on the store page. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4704690/MECCHA_CHAMELEON/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/4704690/MECCHA_CHAMELEON/."},{"path":"/games/balatro/","rank":21,"slug":"balatro","title":"Balatro","urlSlug":"balatro","value":"The earliest visible playable form was a solo-developed prototype/side project that evolved over roughly a multi-year development period before commercial launch. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://www.playbalatro.com/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/2379780/Balatro/."},{"path":"/games/vampiresurvivors/","rank":22,"slug":"vampireSurvivors","title":"Vampire Survivors","urlSlug":"vampiresurvivors","value":"The earliest visible playable form was a low-cost PC Early Access build using pre-made assets before the full 1.0 release. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/games/2023/aug/04/baftas-video-game-vampire-survivors-luca-galante; https://store.steampowered.com/app/1794680/Vampire_Survivors/."},{"path":"/games/slaythespire/","rank":23,"slug":"slayTheSpire","title":"Slay the Spire","urlSlug":"slaythespire","value":"The earliest visible playable form was the Steam Early Access release in November 2017 after private/prototype development. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/aj6sq1/were_mega_crit_games_creators_of_slay_the_spire/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/646570/Slay_the_Spire/."},{"path":"/games/hades/","rank":24,"slug":"hades","title":"Hades","urlSlug":"hades","value":"The earliest visible playable form was the Epic Games Store Early Access launch in December 2018, later Steam Early Access and 1.0 release in 2020. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://www.supergiantgames.com/blog/hades-now-out-of-early-access/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145360/Hades/."},{"path":"/games/noita/","rank":25,"slug":"noita","title":"Noita","urlSlug":"noita","value":"The earliest visible playable form was an experimental falling-sand roguelite prototype before the September 2019 Early Access release. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/road-to-the-igf-nolla-games-i-noita-i-; https://store.steampowered.com/app/881100/Noita/."},{"path":"/games/laserleague/","rank":26,"slug":"laserLeague","title":"Laser League / Laser League: World Arena","urlSlug":"laserleague","value":"The earliest visible playable form was the original premium Laser League release before the free-to-play World Arena reboot/rework. For Fever Tilt study purposes, the important question is how quickly that form created repeatable social proof in front of other people. Sources: https://store.steampowered.com/app/570460/Laser_League_World_Arena/; https://store.steampowered.com/app/570460/Laser_League_World_Arena/."}],"group":"origin","kind":"dimension","label":"Earliest playable form","paths":{"html":"/dimensions/earliestplayableform/","json":"/dimensions/earliestplayableform/index.json"},"presets":["origin"],"rank":3,"schemaVersion":1,"slug":"earliestPlayableForm","urlSlug":"earliestplayableform"}