← all stories
Slay the Spire
Slay the Spire 2 is in early access on Steam, with Mega Crit actively balancing the beta branch and the main branch. The game has sold over 3 million copies, and the first official figures are available for pre-order. The board game expansion Downfall set a Japanese crowdfunding record.
Synthesized from 7
Yomimono stories · updated
Aug 10
Slay the Spire 2 entered early access on Steam on March 6, 2026, and has sold over 3 million copies as of March 2026. Mega Crit has been running a beta branch alongside the main branch, releasing frequent patches that adjust cards, relics, and bosses. The second major update, released June 19, 2026, removed the controversial Act 3 boss Door Maker and replaced it with Eternal Hourglass, citing complexity and unresolved issues. The same update added Steam Workshop support and a monster encyclopedia, and overhauled the random number generator after mathematician Andy Tockman published a report on June 15 showing significant bias in random events.
Beta patches continued through July and August. Patch v0.107.0, released June 5, adjusted Eternal Hourglass and strengthened the Squirming Swarm enemy at higher ascensions. Patch v0.108.0, released July 3, nerfed Defect's Compression and Ironclad's Crimson Garment, reworked Silent's Infectious Explosion, and buffed Necrobinder's Soul Storm. Patch v0.110.0, released July 31, added a keyboard-only mode that displays hotkey settings on screen, along with card tuning and bug fixes.
Outside the game, Mega Crit partnered with Youtooz for the first official Slay the Spire 2 figures, featuring Regent and Necrobinder, with pre-orders open and shipments scheduled between January 30 and March 15, 2027. The board game expansion Downfall, for the Japanese edition of Slay the Spire: The Board Game, set a new all-time record for board game crowdfunding in Japan, surpassing 190 million yen as of June 30. A study from the Australian National University, published on arXiv, analyzed gaze patterns of 32 players and found that those who defeated the boss showed more balanced gaze patterns, while losing players dwelled longer on enemy information; the paper will appear in PACMHCI in November 2026.
Key facts
- Early access launch
- Slay the Spire 2 entered early access on Steam on March 6, 2026. ↗
- Sales
- The game has sold over 3 million copies as of March 2026. ↗
- Second major update
- Released June 19, 2026, removed the Door Maker boss, added Eternal Hourglass, Steam Workshop support, and a monster encyclopedia. ↗
- RNG overhaul
- The random number generator was overhauled after mathematician Andy Tockman published a report on June 15 showing significant bias. ↗
- Beta patch v0.110.0
- Released July 31, 2026, added a keyboard-only mode and special auras for certain buff cards. ↗
- Beta patch v0.108.0
- Released July 3, 2026, nerfed Defect's Compression and Ironclad's Crimson Garment, reworked Silent's Infectious Explosion. ↗
- First official figures
- Youtooz figures of Regent and Necrobinder, each 12.7 cm tall, priced at $29.99, with shipments scheduled between January 30 and March 15, 2027. ↗
- Board game crowdfunding record
- The Japanese edition of the Slay the Spire: The Board Game expansion Downfall surpassed 190 million yen, setting a new all-time record for board game crowdfunding in Japan. ↗
- Gaze study
- A study of 32 players found that those who defeated the boss showed more balanced gaze patterns; the paper will appear in PACMHCI in November 2026. ↗
Timeline
Synthesized by Yomimono from the cited Yomimono stories below, each itself
sourced, then editorially reviewed. Every
fact links the story it came from.
Facts
- Noted
- Researchers at the Australian National University published a study on arXiv analyzing how gaze movement relates to performance in Slay the Spire. · 2026-08-07
Structured graph also available as JSON at /public/entities/slay-the-spire.
CC BY 4.0.
All coverage
Aug 20
Automaton recommends 'Chaos Zero Nightmare,' a deck-building roguelike from SUPER CREATIVE and Smilegate, for players who have exhausted 'Slay the Spire 2' early access. The game's 'Chaos Manifestation' mode lets players build decks and save them for normal mode, offering a different take on the genre.
Aug 14
Mega Crit released beta patch v0.111.0 for Slay the Spire 2 on August 14, 2026. The update reworks Ironclad's popular skill Battle Trance, turning it from an energy-generating card into a block-generating one. Battle Trance now costs 3 energy and grants 15 Block, plus 5 additional Block for each point of Strength the character has. Previously, it granted 1 energy for each Attack card in hand and prevented gaining additional energy that turn. The change removes one of Ironclad's rare energy sources. Another Ironclad skill, Forgotten Ritual, was simplified to grant 3 energy and Exhaust, making it easier to pick up without requiring exhaust synergy. Silent's Ink Blade was nerfed: the Ink enchantment on knives lost its additional 1 damage effect, while applying 1 Weak remains. Necrobinder's Doom was buffed by removing Exhaust, allowing repeated use against enemies with Ruin stacks. Defect's Hyper Beam was reworked: losing 3 Focus now applies only for the turn, but its area damage dropped from 30 to 24. Several enemies, including Axe Machine, Mechanite, Exoskeleton Bug, Globe Head, Ancestor Bug, and Soul Fish, received stat buffs, making the climb harder. The patch also adds idle animations for characters at low HP, Indonesian language support, and an E key confirm feature.
Aug 9
Mega Crit released beta patch v0.110.0 for Slay the Spire 2 on July 31, 2026. The update adds a keyboard-only mode that displays hotkey settings on screen, helping players without a mouse. Player characters also gain special auras when playing certain buff cards, alongside card tuning, bug fixes, and UI changes.
Aug 7
Researchers at the Australian National University published a study on arXiv analyzing how gaze movement relates to performance in Slay the Spire. The study of 32 players found that those who defeated the boss showed more balanced, diverse gaze patterns, while losing players dwelled longer on enemy information. The paper will appear in PACMHCI in November 2026.
Jul 16
Mega Crit and figure manufacturer Youtooz have opened pre-orders for the first official figures based on the deck-building roguelike sequel Slay the Spire 2. The line includes two playable characters: Regent, depicted seated on a stone throne supported by two minions, and Necrobinder, standing with a scythe and accompanied by the skeletal hand Osty. Each vinyl figure stands approximately 12.7 cm (5 inches) tall and is priced at $29.99. Buyers can also choose a bundle that includes a 2-inch pin badge. The packaging features artwork that reflects the game's atmosphere. Shipments are scheduled between January 30 and March 15, 2027. Slay the Spire 2 entered early access on Steam on March 6, 2026, and has sold over 3 million copies as of March 2026.
Jul 3
Mega Crit released update v0.108.0 for the Slay the Spire 2 beta branch on July 3. The patch nerfs Defect's Compression and Ironclad's Crimson Garment, reworks Silent's Infectious Explosion, and buffs Necrobinder's Soul Storm. The Act 3 boss Eternal Hourglass also received animations.
Jun 30
Kenville announced on June 28 that the crowdfunding campaign for the Japanese edition of the Slay the Spire: The Board Game expansion Downfall has set a new all-time record for board game crowdfunding in Japan, surpassing 190 million yen as of June 30. The campaign ends at 11:59 PM on June 30.
Jun 19
Mega Crit released the second major update for Slay the Spire 2 on June 19, 2026, bringing the beta branch changes to the main branch. The update removes the controversial Act 3 boss Door Maker, replacing it with a new boss called Eternal Hourglass. The development team said Door Maker forced interesting decisions but exceeded their complexity threshold and had unresolved issues. Steam Workshop support is now live, allowing players to browse and install mods directly in the game. A monster encyclopedia feature has also been added, letting players view encountered monsters and their animations, with plans to expand it to include stats and lore. The update overhauls the random number generator after mathematician Andy Tockman published a report on June 15 showing significant bias in random events. For example, the Curse card from Neow's Bone relic had a 73.74% chance of being Anguish on one path and a 0% chance of Debt on another. The RNG fix was implemented unusually fast, skipping the usual beta testing cycle. The patch also includes new relics, badges, character balance adjustments, and UI improvements.
Jun 5
Mega Crit released beta patch v0.107.0 for Slay the Spire 2, further adjusting the new Eternal Hourglass boss by removing its Decay debuff and altering block gain timing. The early-game Squirming Swarm enemy was strengthened at higher ascensions. Various cards and relics were buffed, and stability improvements were made, including replacing black-screen errors with pop-ups.