I see this question asked repeatedly. I feel it warrants its own thread. A Soft Launch is similar to a closed beta. A software developer, will release versions of their product in a small market quietly. There can be one country or several. One such country I see this for is Australia.
Normally, its a game for IOS and/or Android. The best way to get in early is to read something in the news about a new product. I've gotten in on several games early in this manner. If you choose to do this, there will be things you must be willing to deal with.
These are no access to in app purchases, in app purchases not available in your countries currency, and possibly many bugs. You'll also likely encounter a game or program with many incomplete pieces.
Support for the game by the developers may be bad also and changes are frequent.
Does this sound OK to you? If so, do many Google searches until you find said program outside of the official mobile stores such as Amazon, Google Play, or Apples app store. The program will need to be sideloaded. You must be Android or IOS savy enough to install the program once you have acquired it. Do not expect a warm welcome from developers who hear about you enjoying their pre release program.
This is not your concern. The typical time for soft launch to official launch varies. Typically its within 6 months of a global launch.
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Soft launches may mean there are bugs. Not all bugs can be caught by testing ( Hi 5 to the EARO guys ), but rest assured, if we can see them, then they are known about.
So to be concise, it's normal that a soft launch application may be buggy, but in time, they get fixed
This represents my personal opinion on the subject.
Put simply, a "soft launch" is when a developer releases a game in a small selection of countries (Singapore, Australia, and Canada are common soft launch markets) prior to the game's worldwide official release. Occasionally, there are legitimate methods for players in other markets to participate as well (for instance, one of CG's earlier games, Supreme Heroes, was available for download in the US for 24 hours partway through the soft launch), but generally you either need to wait patiently or pirate the game. During the time between soft launch and worldwide release, some portions of the game might be missing or not work as intended, and the developer will make frequent updates with bugfixes and gameplay changes based on feedback received from players in the test markets. In return for suffering through all that, you get a head-start against the players who join when the game is officially released.