Gunman Contracts - Stand Alone entered Early Access on September 10, 2026. This page covers what is actually in the build today, how long the developer plans to stay in Early Access, what version 1.0 adds, and how the price is scheduled to move. Everything below is quoted or taken from the developer's own Early Access statement on the Steam store page.
Read this first if you are deciding whether to buy. Early Access here means a finished-feeling vertical slice, not a finished game: three of a planned six contracts, two challenge modes, and a full weapon and upgrade system. What is not settled is performance — see the Known Issues page before you buy for VR.
The developer's own Early Access statement
Steam requires every Early Access game to answer a fixed set of questions. ANB_Seth's answers are unusually direct, so here they are in full rather than paraphrased:
| Steam's question | The developer's answer |
|---|---|
| Why Early Access? | "As a solo developer, Early Access provides me with a unique opportunity to involve you in the development of my game. Early Access starts with 3 contracts and your feedback will be invaluable as I work on the next 3 contracts and more." |
| How long will it be in Early Access? | "Work has already begun on the next contracts but it's hard to say when they will be ready before leaving Early Access… my current plan is to keep releasing more content over the coming couple of years through 1.0" |
| How will 1.0 differ? | "The story keeps going. 1.0 takes the Gunman through at least 3 more contracts in new locations, new weapons and new features that come with them." |
| Current state of the build? | "Three story contracts, two challenge modes, weapons and attachment system, leaderboards, and the Home Base are all finished and in your hands on day one. VR and Non-VR (PC + Steam Deck) are both fully supported." |
| Will the price change? | "Yes. The price will start lower on the Early Access launch, and increase as more contracts and content are added up to 1.0" |
| How can the community take part? | "The Discord is the best place to be a part of our Community. Tell me what you want next, post your leaderboard runs or just hang out!" |
Two things follow from this. First, the roadmap is content-shaped, not feature-shaped — 1.0 is defined as more contracts in new locations with the weapons that come with them, not as a rewrite. Second, nothing is committed to a date. The developer explicitly says there is no exact timeline.
What is finished on day one
The launch build is not a demo. Confirmed complete and shipping at launch:
| System | State at launch |
|---|---|
| Story contracts | 3 connected contracts (of 6 planned) |
| Challenge modes | 2 — Takedown Mode and Last Stand Mode |
| Weapons | 18 to unlock on the gunwall, with a per-weapon attachment system |
| Home base | The Hive — gunwall, gun bench, gun range skill games, holographic combat area |
| Leaderboards | Per contract, challenge and skill game, split between VR and non-VR |
| Achievements | 27 Steam achievements |
| Customisation | Gun skins, swappable gun sounds, fully customisable controls and gameplay |
| Accessibility | Optional low-violence mode and unlockable cheats |
Steam Deck: officially Verified
The developer states that "VR and Non-VR (PC + Steam Deck) are both fully supported", and Valve's own compatibility rating agrees — the game is Steam Deck Verified, the higher of Valve's two "it works" ratings.
Verified is not a publisher claim: Valve tested it and confirmed the default controller configuration is fully functional, the controller glyphs match the Deck's inputs, in-game text is legible, and the default configuration performs acceptably.
There is no native Mac or Linux build. The store page lists Windows as the only native platform, and the Deck runs the Windows build through SteamOS's compatibility layer.
Price
$24.99 during Early Access, with no launch discount applied to that figure.
The developer has said the price will increase as contracts and content are added on the way to 1.0. That makes this one of the few Early Access purchases where the developer has stated the direction of travel in advance — buying now is cheaper than buying later, on the developer's own account.
How the launch has actually landed
As of September 16, 2026 the game sits at 1,177 Steam reviews, 79% positive, which Steam labels Mostly Positive. The split matters more than the average: players are close to unanimous that the shooting, the presentation and the production values are strong for a solo-developed title, while the disagreement is concentrated almost entirely in VR performance and interaction polish.
If you want the detailed breakdown of what those complaints are, that is the whole subject of the Known Issues page.
Review figures are a moving target. The numbers above are a snapshot from September 16, 2026, six days after launch. We date-stamp them rather than showing a bare percentage, because Early Access review scores move quickly in both directions once patches land.
What is not in the game yet
Worth checking before you buy, because each of these is a common assumption:
- No co-op and no multiplayer. Steam lists the game as Single-player only, with no multiplayer category attached.
- Three contracts, not six. The remaining three are planned as free updates, but they do not exist yet.
- English and German only — both with full audio.
- No Mac or Linux build, and no native Steam Deck build either (see above).
- No completion time has been published. Neither the developer nor the store page gives an hours figure.
Should you buy it now?
The honest framing, based on what the developer has committed to and what players are reporting:
Buy now if you want the game at its lowest price, you play non-VR or you are comfortable tuning settings, and you want to influence the next three contracts — the developer has said launch feedback "will directly influence this next phase of development", and the Discord is the channel for it.
Wait if you are buying primarily for VR and expect console-grade optimisation on day one. That is where the negative reviews are concentrated.
Either way, the content argument is settled: this is a complete-feeling three-contract campaign with a full weapon and upgrade progression attached, not a tech demo behind a paywall.
Sources
- The Early Access statement on the game's Steam store page — all six quotations above, plus the Steam Deck support claim.
- Valve's Steam Deck compatibility report for app 2421750, for the Verified rating.
- The developer's launch announcement, "Gunman Contracts - Stand Alone" is LIVE! (Steam news, September 10, 2026).
- Steam review data captured September 16, 2026.
Related guides
- Known Issues — what players are reporting and how to report a bug
- Beginner Guide — what to do first once you are in
- Tier List — what to unlock and play in which order
- VR vs Non-VR — which mode to pick and what each one needs