A niche game on Steam seems to have figured out exact🦹ly how to do early access right, and players are loving i💧t.

In an era when many games linger in early access for years, often using it as an excuse to slowly add features or deliver constant updates, it’s refreshing to see a game spend only a short time there, handle player feedback well, and nearly double its player count upon full release.

Realistic snowmobile simulator Sledders released after 15 months in early access

is a realistic snowmobile simulator game, aboutꦜ as niche as it gets. It first released on Dဣecember 5, 2023 in early access on Steam and is now a full game as of March 20.

Players get to experience what I’ll believe to be authentic snowmobile driving—I’ll probably never know for sure—complete with realistic physics and actual snowmobile sounds.

Despite its very specific theme, Sledders hit over 1,800 peak players on after its release on March 20—almost double its early access peak—and earned an impressive av🧸erage of 91% positive reviews in the 𓆉last 30 days, with 97% positive reviews on launch day. It even became best-rated release this week.

Even though snowmobiles aren’t exactly common worldwide—many countries don’t even have snow, let alone people who ride snowmobiles—Sledders might have found the same sweet spot as Eurotruck Simulator. Just as Euro Truck Simulator attracts many players who aren’t truck drivers in real life, Sledders could appeal to enthusiasts🌄 who enjoy realistic experiences.

Early reviews suggest the game is a bit hard to start but fun to play, which is the sweet spot for simulators. If it’s too easy, it doesn’t feel real. If it’s too hard, it becomes frustrating.

Snowmobile enthusiasts helped make Sledders

A developer shared on the snowmobiling Reddit community why Sledders has connected so ♓well with players. It turns out one of the developers is a real snowmobile expert who previously ran a snowmobile shop and even recorded real engine sounds to ensure maximum realism.

Sledders is also available on Xbox and PS5 for $34.99.