How Do YouTubers Get Games Early? (Complete Explanation)

Have you ever wondered- how do YouTubers get games early? If you have, you've come to the right place.

One of the biggest perks of being a gaming YouTuber is having the ability to get early access to new video games. While many creators are not in a position to get games sent to them early, they're still curious as to how some creators get early access.

In this article, you will learn:

How Do YouTubers Get Video Games Early?
How Early Do YouTubers Get New Games?
How to Get Games Early Like YouTubers Do

Read on and learn not only how YouTubers get games early, but also how you might be able to do the same.

How Do YouTubers Get Video Games Early?

So, how do YouTubers get video games early? Do they contact developers, or do developers contact them? Do they have to pay for the games they're given early access to, or are they paid by the developers of the games?

YouTubers get video games early by being contacted by game developers or by contacting them themselves. Often, YouTubers will be given early access codes to multiplayer-focused games, or a copy of a finished game to create a review video about before it is released.

Whether or not a YouTuber is contacted by a developer depends on their audience size and influence. This is why many small content creators either receive early access to indie games or need to reach out to developers directly to ask them for early access.

Sometimes, if a YouTube content creator has a large enough audience, they will have a personal assistant or management company who will communicate with game developers. This can make it easier to get access to new video games early as well.

How Early Do YouTubers Get New Games?

You might be wondering- how early do YouTubers get new games? After all, new games often have announcements months and sometimes years before they're released. It wouldn't make sense for YouTubers to play new games too soon, right?

For multiplayer-focused games, YouTubers will typically be given access shortly before the public can access the games. When it comes to single-player games, however, they can sometimes be given access over 2 weeks early to give feedback to developers.

Since multiplayer-focused games tend to have more competition, developers need to capitalize on hype and interest as quickly as possible to ensure purchases and installations happen. This is why content creators show off these games shortly before they're released.

Regarding single-player games, however, they're often sent to content creators well in advance of the set release date. Developers do this to give content creators time to provide in-depth feedback so a day one patch can be released to fix any issues currently present.

How to Get Games Early Like YouTubers Do

At this point, you're probably wondering how you can get games early as YouTubers do. Well, the process might not be as easy as it sounds, but it is possible to get games early on occasion depending on your situation.

Here's how to get games early like YouTubers do:

1. Grow an audience
2. Create high-quality content
3. Engage with developers on social media
4. Contact developers directly
5. Reach out to marketing teams

Let's go over this process in more detail.

1. Grow an Audience

As you can probably imagine, companies want their games to get seen by the most people possible. So, they look for YouTube content creators that have a large audience. This is the easiest way to get early access to games- grow an audience.

2. Create High-Quality Content

Even if you don't have the largest audience, you can still attract developers by creating high-quality content. Many developers would rather have a high-quality video about their game produced from a small channel than a low-quality video from a large channel.

3. Engage With Developers on Social Media

Nowadays, many developers publish content on social media. Since this is the case, you can interact and engage with them to get on their radar. Try responding to some of their Twitter posts or leaving comments on their Instagram posts, for example.

4. Contact Developers Directly

One of the best ways to get on the radar of developers is to contact them directly via email or direct message. Don't try to get early access to a game in your first message. Ask them what someone would need to do to get early access to a game to see if you qualify.

5. Reach Out to Marketing Teams

Marketing teams are in charge of running advertising campaigns and getting games seen by consumers. Knowing this, it's easy to see how reaching out to a member of a marketing team at a game development company could lead you to get early access to a game.

Conclusion

You now know how YouTubers get games early. While the process might sound complicated, it's simple overall and many large creators get codes to games before they're released all the time. Depending on your situation, you might even be able to get early access to games.