Path of Exile 2 goes free to play on 11 December: buy Early Access now or wait?

02 / Launch

What changes on 11 December

Three things are confirmed by Grinding Gear Games and Steam. The game leaves Early Access on 11 December 2026 PST. It becomes free to play. And the Duelist, a long-awaited sword-wielding class, arrives with the full release. RPG Site's report on the gamescom announcement adds that 1.0 brings the remaining two main story acts and launches on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store and the standalone client), PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Steam's Early Access notes describe the current build as a campaign of four acts plus a large endgame, and list the plan as two more acts, more classes and Ascendancy classes, more skill gems and items, and more endgame content. The store text describes the finished game with six acts, twelve classes and 36 Ascendancy classes. GGG has not said on its news pages that all of those classes arrive on 11 December, so treat the class count at launch as unconfirmed.

More detail is close. GGG hosts ExileCon 2026 on 7 and 8 November New Zealand time, and the keynote streams at 1 p.m. PST on 6 November. If you are undecided, watch that keynote before you spend money.

• ConfirmedFree to play from 11 December 2026 PST, the Duelist at launch, and a free sign-up for launch rewards linked from the Steam page.
• ReportedThe final two campaign acts and the PC, PS5 and Xbox launch platforms, from RPG Site's coverage of GGG's announcement.
• Not yet statedHow Early Access characters and stashes move into 1.0, and the full class list on day one. Neither appears on GGG's current news pages.

03 / Paying now

What paying for Early Access gets you

Every Early Access Supporter Pack includes a Path of Exile 2 Early Access key and store points, and the higher tiers add exclusive cosmetics. GGG says the pack microtransactions work in both Path of Exile and Path of Exile 2. On GGG's shop, the US$30 pack contains 300 points, the key and the extended soundtrack. Higher tiers add armour sets, pets, portal effects and hideouts, and the top tiers add physical goods such as a hoodie and an artbook.

Steam's store text says purchases are shared between the two games and that the game will never be pay to win. RPG Site describes the free-to-play model as optional microtransactions for cosmetics and additional stash tabs. Oruvai's read: a free player at launch gets the same game, and paying earlier mainly buys time and items.

The packs will not be around much longer. GGG wrote this week that the Early Access Supporter Packs will leave the store forever in a few weeks, replaced by five new packs. If one of the current cosmetics matters to you, that is a real deadline. If not, it is no reason to buy.

• US$30 tierEarly Access key, 300 points and the soundtrack. Effectively store credit plus access.
• US$60 and US$100 tiersLord of Ogham or King of the Faridun armour, pets, a portal effect and hideout decorations. Steam sells these at US$59.99 and US$99.99.
• Top tiers, up to US$480Extra Early Access keys, physical merchandise and, at Liberator of Wraeclast level, a unique item nomination for the Twilight Order Reliquary.

04 / Who it fits

Who Path of Exile 2 fits

Path of Exile 2 is a build game first. Steam lists 240 skill gems, 200 support gems and a passive tree of 1,500 skills with dual specialisation, and every campaign area has a boss with its own mechanics to learn. The fun comes from planning a character, testing it against a wall and rebuilding it.

The endgame is where long-term players live: maps across different biomes, crafting, special passive trees that make maps more rewarding and more difficult, and sequels to league mechanics from the first game. If you finish a campaign and want months of optimisation, the game is built for exactly that.

Steam lists online co-op for up to six players alongside single-player. Steam also lists a broadband internet connection in the requirements, and the PC version needs 100 GB of storage.

05 / Skip it if

Who should skip it, or at least wait

Skip it if build complexity sounds like homework. The depth that hooks theorycrafters can overwhelm players who want to pick a class and play. Free to play lowers the cost of finding out, but it does not change the design.

On 23 October 2026, Steam reviews were Mostly Positive: 77 percent of 97,997 English-language reviews, and 77 percent of 930 in the last 30 days. That is a good but divided score for a game still in Early Access, so read recent reviews about the current balance before you spend money.

Wait if you mainly want the finished story. The last two acts are part of 1.0, so starting the campaign now means reaching the end of act four and then waiting for the rest.

06 / Verdict

Buy now or wait: the decision in three cases

Buy now if you want to play in the next seven weeks, if a current supporter pack cosmetic matters to you before the packs leave, or if you know you will spend at least 30 US dollars on stash tabs or cosmetics anyway. In that last case the cheapest pack is mostly prepaid store credit.

Wait if you only want to try it. On 11 December the same test costs nothing and includes the Duelist and, according to RPG Site, the full six-act campaign. A free start also lets a whole friend group try co-op before anyone pays.

Either way, use the free sign-up for the launch rewards before 11 December. GGG says the milestone cosmetics go to players who register, and that buying Early Access does not grant them automatically.

Best fit: build planners and endgame grinders who want to start before December. Think twice if: you only want a trial, prefer relaxed loot games, or need offline play.