Path of Exile 2 release date coming soon as early access gets final patch

Path of Exile 2‘s long path to 1.0 is finally winding down. On Thursday, developer Grinding Gear Games held a digital livestream detailing the latest patch (0.5, “Return of the Ancients”), during which game director Jonathan Rogers said this is the final major update before Path of Exile 2 leaves access and enters 1.0.

While it’s great to know the Path of Exile 2 full release is approaching, Grinding Gear Games didn’t share an official release date. However, it’s safe to assume 1.0 is coming out between November and December; in a news release, Grinding Gear Games mentioned its intention to launch the full game in 2026 after ExileCon, which is taking place in New Zealand on Nov. 7-8. Considering the 1.0 update is meant to be as big — or bigger — than “Return of the Ancients,” the largest update GGG has ever released, a six- to seven-month wait seems reasonable.

Although Grinding Gear Games is probably going to disclose more accurate information regarding the full game during ExileCon, Rogers shared a few details that could help players set their expectations for 1.0. When asked whether all four missing base classes will be added to the full game, Rogers said, “We won’t necessarily have all 12 of the base classes for 1.0. We should have most of them, but we will have to see how that goes.” Nevertheless, according to Rogers, we can expect to see all ascendencies for the classes already in the game.

Rogers has also confirmed that in 1.0, Path of Exile 2 will be localized into additional languages. Currently, 10 languages are already supported, but it is great to see the developer’s interest in offering more options to players. Another feature that Rogers promised is going to be in 1.0 is the option for players to switch from keyboard to controller on the fly, which, according to him, is a “surprisingly brutal and large feature to do.”

The release of 1.0 isn’t exciting only for veterans who can’t wait to play the end of the campaign with new classes. Once the game comes out of early access, Path of Exile 2 will become completely free to play.