Can’t download Broken Arrow Vanguard Edition and join early access? We know why
Many people have problems with downloading Broken Arrow, even though they have Vanguard Edition. If you can’t take part in early access, we know the reason.
After the success of Broken Arrow beta, we should not be surprised that many people are eager to play the full game. While we are a few days away from the official premiere (June 19, 2025), many players decided to wait no longer and take part in advanced access (also known by many as early access). It is possible after buying the Vanguard Edition of the game. However, it seems that not all players can download it, even though the production is officially live. There is one possible culprit, which explains everything.
Problems with downloading Broken Arrow Vanguard Edition
Edit: Developers have posted that the issue should be solved. If you still do not see the option to download the game, restart Steam.
Let’s start with clarification, Broken Arrow early access (or advanced access to be precise) is live. It was confirmed by developers. So, you should be able to download the game if you are the owner of the Vanguard Edition. If you can’t, your first step should be to restart Steam or even the PC. It should help. However, if the situation did not improve, there is a possible culprit.
It seems that many people decided to buy Broken Arrow a little bit cheaper than the official price on Steam. Before the game’s release, there was information on Reddit that you can purchase the Vanguard Edition at discount at CDKeys. Were you tempted? It looks like people who have their game from different shops than Valve’s platform can’t download it right now.
At this point we don’t have any official response from Steel Balalaika. However, we can quote a post of different developers who also released their game today – Rematch. On their official Discord, creators from Sloclap has posted that:
We have received some complaints that some people who have purchased the game via grey market sites (G2A,Cdkeys,InstantGaming,etc) are getting their orders cancelled. SLOCLAP IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY OF THESE SITES AT THIS TIME. We highly recommend you purchase the game via the official sources. Please see linked below. Thank you for your continued support.
While these are different games and the situation is not the same, it highlights the issue. Key sources, outside of the official distribution, can be problematic. Especially, if we are talking about fresh releases. In these cases, only the official sellers can guarantee you stress-free success. Right now, we have to wait for the Steel Balalaika and Slitherine Ltd response and let’s hope that it will be solved quickly.
