Game director Jonathan Rogers has confirmed that Path of Exile 2 will not be exiting early access and fully launching within the current year.
During a recent interview, conducted ahead of the reveal for Path of Exile 2`s substantial “The Third Edict” update (which introduces the ARPG`s fourth campaign act, new temporary interlude acts, and its inaugural seasonal league, among other features), Rogers stated that, contrary to his earlier expectations, a complete release of Path of Exile 2 will not materialize in 2025. This also implies that the game will not transition to a free-to-play model in the immediate future.
“I definitely don`t believe that`s possible anymore,” Rogers admitted, referring to the 2025 release target. “Things have taken a bit longer than we`d hoped.” He outlined two critical conditions for the game to move out of early access: “One of them is that we obviously need to finish the campaign. I don`t think that will take too much longer.” The second, and arguably more significant, is achieving impeccable game balance. “We have to get to the point of balance where everyone is actually happy with how things are. The general opinion needs to be that we`ve actually got it locked in. Obviously we can`t go into full release until we`ve sorted that out. Once those two things are true, then we`ll release.”
While “The Third Edict” update introduces Act IV of Path of Exile 2`s campaign, Grinding Gear Games (GGG), the developer, still needs to deliver Acts V and VI. Rogers affirmed that Act V would certainly be included during the early access period, but the arrival of Act VI might coincide with the game`s official full launch.
Five additional classes—the Templar, Druid, Shadow, Marauder, and Duelist—are still slated for inclusion in Path of Exile 2. Rogers revealed that one class was nearly ready for “The Third Edict” update but was ultimately delayed.
“We still intended to release a class with this update, but we didn`t quite finish it in time,” Rogers explained. “There will definitely be a class in the next update, I`d say. I say definitely even though I probably shouldn`t, but classes unfortunately require an unpredictable amount of time. You might start with a clear idea, but by the time you`re done, you`ve refactored numerous elements, making it much more challenging than anticipated. We had a specific class in mind and put significant effort into it, but we realized that to complete all the bosses and other content, we couldn`t finalize the class simultaneously. So it didn`t happen this time, but we`ll get there.”
GGG had previously indicated that Path of Exile 2 would remain in early access for “at least” six months. Earlier this year, the studio announced a temporary halt on major updates for the original Path of Exile to prioritize development efforts for its highly anticipated sequel. Rogers acknowledged at the time that the studio was still “learning how to manage two games concurrently.”
For players keen on experiencing Path of Exile 2 without purchasing early access, a free weekend will be available from August 29 to September 1. This special event is timed to align with the release of “The Third Edict” update, offering a perfect opportunity to dive into the ARPG.