Here’s when ‘Path of Exile 2’ could go free to play and exit early access

Path of Exile 2 has launched, and players are having heaps of fun seeing everything Grinding Gear Games has put into this release. However, some are sad that the game isn’t free to play yet. While this is planned once Early Access finishes, you may be wondering when that will be.

Thankfully, we do have some ideas of how long Grinding Gear Games hopes the action RPG will stay in early access.

According to the game director of Path of Exile 2, Jonathan Rodgers, in a stream ahead of the early access release, the free to play launch could happen before the end of 2025. However, in an FAQ it was stated that early access will last for as long as needed to ensure everything in the game is ready for the free-to-play launch.

That period will be at least six months. So, if everything goes smoothly, Path of Exile 2 will launch in the second half of next year, probably around December again. Of course, this could always change, and there could be some last-minute issues that push the full release into 2026. Additionally, Grinding Gear Games is known for continuously developing content, and we could see early access extended even longer if there are more features it wants to add in.

Personally, we don’t see the game’s early access extended far beyond what Rodgers has said. The game has already been in development for more than half a decade, and 80% of the experience is already here. The team really just needs to work on six of the classes, new ascendencies, and the final three acts of the campaign. The endgame and overall progression are already sorted.

For even more on the game, be sure to grab the Path of Exile 2 Twitch Drops while they are available.