Path of Exile 2

Path of Exile 2 is Grinding Gear Games' action-RPG, the follow-up to the original Path of Exile that inherits its DNA undiluted: obsessive loot, a sprawling passive skill tree, and a barter-based economy between players with no premium currency in the mix. It drops you back into Wraeclast, a merciless dark fantasy world, years after the first game, with an all-new seven-act campaign, twelve classes —each with three ascendancies— and a roster of bosses that forces you to learn patterns rather than steamroll through.

Against the genre's usual frenzy, PoE2 leans into slower, more deliberate combat: an active dodge roll, crowd control, and encounters that reward reading the fight over mindless clicking. The other half of the game is character building: you combine skill gems, support gems, and that giant passive tree into your own builds, then stress-test them in the endgame. The whole thing is playable in online co-op for up to six players and in local split-screen, with crossplay and cross-progression across PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Mac. You can dig into the details on the official site.

PoE2 has been in Early Access since December 2024 and is still a work in progress: GGG develops it in the open and ships major updates each league, adding new ascendancies, skills, and endgame systems with every drop. That also means balance and the endgame shift from one league to the next, so the meta rarely sits still. The 1.0 launch —which will make the game free-to-play— is targeted for late 2026. Worth knowing, too: the population breathes with the league calendar, with huge peaks at Early Access launch and much quieter valleys between content drops, a normal pattern for the genre.

This is worth spelling out, because it depends on the stage. During Early Access you have to pay to get in: access comes from buying a supporter pack, starting around $30 USD, with higher tiers adding cosmetics, character slots, and store points. Once 1.0 arrives, the game becomes free-to-play and anyone can jump in at no cost. The final model monetizes only through cosmetics, stash tabs, and quality-of-life conveniences —nothing pay-to-win, per GGG— and microtransactions are shared with Path of Exile 1 wherever possible. If you want in today, the pack is available on the official site or on Steam.

This is a game for players who enjoy loot as an end in itself, build theorycrafting, and a deep endgame you can pour hundreds of hours into. It shines in co-op, whether with friends on the same couch in split-screen or online across platforms. On the other hand, if you're after a casual, short-session ARPG, or you dislike games that rewrite themselves every few months, this may not be your best entry point —at least not until 1.0.

The short version: PoE2 is demanding and still half-built. Balance shifts, the endgame changes league to league, and for now you have to pay to play. But its production values, combat, and art direction already make it a benchmark for the modern ARPG, and the promise of a free-to-play launch makes it one of the genre's big dates to watch once it hits 1.0.