Path of Exile 2 is in early access and is set for full release on December 11, 2026, as a free-to-play title on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The sequel to the 2013 original has been in early access since December 7, 2024.
Grinding Gear Games announced at gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 that Path of Exile 2 will get its full release on December 11, 2026, as a free-to-play title. The sequel to the 2013 original has been in early access since December 7, 2024, when it launched for DLC purchasers. It supports solo and cooperative play for up to six players on Wraeclast, and will be available on PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The announcement trailer appeared to reveal a new class specializing in sword action.
Before the release date was set, the early access period had already gone through its final major content cycle. Update 0.5.0, "Return of the Ancients," arrived alongside a free weekend on PC and Xbox Series X|S that ran until June 2. SteamDB recorded a peak of about 410,000 concurrent players within 24 hours, the highest for any update so far but below the launch peak of around 580,000. The update refreshed endgame content and added new Ascendancies.
Two other stories from the early access period show the state of the game. In July, director Jonathan Rogers reported that the "Device Removed" bug, which froze gameplay when the graphics driver crashed, had been traced to specific NVIDIA drivers; a new driver plus patch 0.5.4e resolves it. The fix ended a roughly year-and-a-half investigation that involved building a dedicated replay system and shipping a test PC to NVIDIA. Separately, a player discovered a hidden device that sacrifices a level 100 character to grant the title "Martyr of the First Edict" and gives all players in the same league a permanent skill point, a find replicated in the current season league.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
Facts
- Release
- game · December 11, 2026 · 2026-08-27
- Release
- game · December 7, 2024 · early access · 2026-08-27
- Release
- game · 2026-08-07 · 2026-08-07
- Release
- game · 2026-05-30 · worldwide · 2026-05-30
- Noted
- will be offered as a free-to-play title across all supported platforms when it officially launches · 2026-08-27
- Noted
- supports solo play and cooperative play for up to six players · 2026-08-27
- Noted
- The 'Device Removed' bug, which froze gameplay when the graphics driver crashed, has been traced to specific NVIDIA drivers. · 2026-08-07
- Noted
- A new driver plus patch 0.5.4e resolves it, and shader compile times are also being reduced. · 2026-08-07
- Noted
- The fix ends a roughly year-and-a-half investigation that required the developers to build a dedicated replay system and ship a full test PC setup to NVIDIA before the driver vendor assigned an engineer. · 2026-08-07
- Noted
- A Path of Exile 2 player discovered a hidden device that sacrifices a level 100 character to grant the title 'Martyr of the First Edict' and gives all players in the same league a permanent skill point. · 2026-06-11
- Announced
- free weekend and update 0.5.0 'Return of the Ancients' · 2026-05-30
Connections
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Aug 27
Grinding Gear Games announced during gamescom Opening Night Live 2026 that Path of Exile 2 will receive its full release on December 11, 2026. The action RPG, currently in early access, will be offered as a free-to-play title across all supported platforms when it officially launches. The game supports solo play and cooperative play for up to six players on the dark continent of Wraeclast, where players build characters using various enhancement elements and take on powerful enemies. Early access began on December 7, 2024, for DLC purchasers, meaning the official release arrives about two years after the initial early access period started. Supported platforms include PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. The announcement trailer shown at the event featured battle scenes and appeared to reveal a new class specializing in sword action. The game is the sequel to Path of Exile, which debuted in 2013. Early access launched with six classes, with additional classes such as Huntress and Druid added through major updates since then.
Aug 7
Path of Exile 2 director Jonathan Rogers reported on July 30 that two long-standing technical issues have been dramatically improved. The 'Device Removed' bug, which froze gameplay when the graphics driver crashed, has been traced to specific NVIDIA drivers. A new driver plus patch 0.5.4e resolves it, and shader compile times are also being reduced.
Jun 11
A Path of Exile 2 player discovered a hidden device that sacrifices a level 100 character to grant the title 'Martyr of the First Edict' and gives all players in the same league a permanent skill point. The find, shared by streamer cArn_, has already been replicated in the current season league, sparking discussion about the game's secret systems.
May 30
Grinding Gear Games launched a free weekend for Path of Exile 2 on PC and Xbox Series X|S, running until June 2. The event coincides with update 0.5.0, 'Return of the Ancients,' the last major early access league before the planned full version 1.0 release later in 2026. The update refreshed endgame content and added new Ascendancies. SteamDB recorded a peak of about 410,000 concurrent players within 24 hours, the highest for any update so far, though below the launch peak of around 580,000.