Path of Exile 2’s Full Release Will Arrive as a Free-to-Play RPG on December 11
Grinding Gear Games will end Early Access and make the action RPG free-to-play across all platforms when version 1.0 and the long-awaited Duelist class arrive on December 11, 2026, with update 0.5.5 expected before the full release.
Grinding Gear Games has scheduled Path of Exile 2‘s version 1.0 launch for December 11, 2026 (PST), when the action RPG will leave Early Access and become fully free-to-play across all platforms. The studio shared the date in a Steam announcement, giving new and returning players a clear launch target.
Path of Exile 2 currently carries a $30 price tag during Early Access, but that cost will end when the full release arrives. Version 1.0 is expected roughly two years after the game’s Early Access period began.
A bug that caused strange stutters and occasional area reloads was also fixed less than a month before the release date was announced, addressing one of the more disruptive problems players had encountered during Early Access.
The Duelist will join Path of Exile 2 at launch
The full release will introduce the Duelist, a class that fans have been waiting to see. Grinding Gear Games revealed it through a new release-date trailer during gamescom’s Opening Night Live in Cologne, with sword-focused combat at the center of the footage. An official Path of Exile post confirms that the sword gameplay comes from the Duelist class.
Swords will also give every class another group of skills to build around, since weapons are not locked to a single class in Path of Exile 2. One attack shown in the trailer sends a wedge of ice upward before the character drives his sword into its center, freezing the enemies caught in the impact. The footage appears to show the move being used by a campaign boss, offering a glimpse at the kind of ability players may eventually be able to use.
Attendees at gamescom Cologne 2026 will also be able to try the Duelist at Hall 6.1, booth B-031.
Update 0.5.5 will arrive before the full launch
Players will have another update to try before December. GGG expects patch 0.5.5 to arrive within the next month, bringing a mini-league built around adjusting class balance. The studio has not shared the full details yet, but the league should give players a new reason to test how the classes feel before version 1.0 arrives.
More information about both the full release and the mini-league will come during a Thursday stream announced through the official forum post. The presentation should also help explain how the Duelist and sword skills fit into the larger launch plan.
Players who want release news and updates can register through the Path of Exile 2 registration page. Registration also unlocks exclusive milestone rewards tied to the road toward launch.
The announcement gives December 11 as the release date in PST, but it does not include a specific launch time. More information is expected as Grinding Gear Games continues its rollout toward the full release.
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Path of Exile 2
Developed by Grinding Gear Games
Path of Exile 2 is a next generation Action RPG created by Grinding Gear Games. Set years after the original Path of Exile, you will return to the dark world of Wraeclast and seek to end the corruption that is spreading. Path of Exile 2 is a free-to-play online multiplayer game with co-op for up to six players.
- Genre Role-playing (RPG), Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Mac
- Perspective Bird view / Isometric
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
- Release December 6, 2024
- Publisher Grinding Gear Games, Kakao Games
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Age Rating
