The Path of Exile 2 release date for the 1.0 full release is Friday 11 December 2026 (Pacific time), on PC (Steam, Epic Games Store and the standalone client), PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. From that day the whole game is free-to-play: you no longer need an Early Access Supporter Pack. Grinding Gear Games announced the date at gamescom on 25 August in its “Path of Exile 2 Fully Releases on December 11!” post, together with a new class, the Duelist. Everything else about 1.0 (new acts, the endgame changes, the new supporter packs) is due at ExileCon on 6 November, and we will update this page after the keynote.
Path of Exile 2 release date and time
Grinding Gear Games has only ever given the date with a time zone: “December 11 PST”. Early Access has been running since 6 December 2024 (the release date Steam still shows), so 1.0 ends two years of paid access almost to the day. Because the date is in Pacific time, players in New Zealand, Australia and Asia will most likely get 1.0 on their Saturday 12 December.
What time does Path of Exile 2 1.0 unlock?
| Where you are | Likely unlock (local) | In UTC |
|---|---|---|
| US West (PST) | Fri 11 Dec, 11:00 AM | 19:00, 11 Dec |
| US East (EST) | Fri 11 Dec, 2:00 PM | 19:00, 11 Dec |
| UK (GMT) | Fri 11 Dec, 19:00 | 19:00, 11 Dec |
| Central Europe (CET) | Fri 11 Dec, 20:00 | 19:00, 11 Dec |
| Japan (JST) | Sat 12 Dec, 04:00 | 19:00, 11 Dec |
| Australia, Sydney (AEDT) | Sat 12 Dec, 06:00 | 19:00, 11 Dec |
| New Zealand (NZDT) | Sat 12 Dec, 08:00 | 19:00, 11 Dec |
ExileCon 2026: when the 1.0 details are revealed
The full 1.0 reveal happens at ExileCon 2026 in Auckland. According to Grinding Gear Games’ “Two Weeks Until ExileCon 2026!” post, the keynote starts at 1:00 PM PST on Friday 6 November (21:00 UTC; Saturday 7 November, 10 AM in New Zealand), with a pre-show from 12:30 PM. It runs about two hours, covers both Path of Exile 1 and 2, and streams on twitch.tv/pathofexile and YouTube, with Twitch Drops. The studio says announcement pages and trailers go live as soon as each item is shown. Until then, the Duelist is the only 1.0 feature Grinding Gear Games has confirmed itself: it showed the class and its new weapon type in a deep-dive video on 27 August.
Is Path of Exile 2 free-to-play?
Yes, from 11 December 2026. Until then it is a paid Early Access game: the cheapest way in is the $29.99 Early Access Supporter Pack. At 1.0 the full game becomes free on every platform, and Grinding Gear Games earns money the way Path of Exile 1 always has, from cosmetics, stash tabs and supporter packs. Nobody has to buy anything to play the campaign or the endgame at launch.
Early Access Supporter Packs and prices
| Pack | Official site | Steam / PS Store | Points | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early Access Supporter Pack | $30.00 | $29.99 / $29.99 | 300 | Early Access key + extended soundtrack |
| Lord of Ogham | $60.00 | $59.99 / — | 600 | Armour pack, back attachment, two pets, portal effect, weapon skin |
| King of the Faridun | $100.00 | $99.99 / — | 1,000 | Both armour packs, The Dreadnought hideout, spear and bow skins |
| Thaumaturge of the Vaal | $160.00 | Official site only | 1,600 | Adds one extra Early Access key to give away |
| Warlord of the Karui | $240.00 | Official site only | Not stated in the list we read | Physical items, or 660 points instead |
| Liberator of Wraeclast | $480.00 | Official site only | Not stated in the list we read | 215-page art book, Twilight Order Reliquary nomination, or 960 points instead of physical items |
The packs are on borrowed time. On 22 October Grinding Gear Games wrote that the Early Access Supporter Packs will be “leaving the store forever in a few weeks”, replaced by a set of five new packs, and that higher tiers include T-shirts, hoodies and the artbook. The exclusive cosmetics inside them go with them. The official shop also lets you upgrade from one pack to a higher one in the same series: points packs bought since 22 September 2024 count toward the upgrade, up to 80% of the new pack’s value.
Should you buy Early Access now or wait for 1.0?
Path of Exile 2 Full Release registration rewards
- Open the registration pageGo to pathofexile2.com/register. You do not need a Path of Exile account to sign up, and existing players are welcome.
- Enter any email address and confirm itIt does not have to be the email on your game account, but you must click the confirmation link in the email Grinding Gear Games sends. Without that, you are not registered.
- Stay subscribed until the codes go outIf you unsubscribe before codes are distributed after the 11 December launch, you will not get one.
- Redeem the code on the websiteEach account can redeem one code. Link your Steam, Epic, PlayStation or Xbox account at pathofexile.com/my-account/connections so the cosmetics show up on your platform.
Everyone who registers gets the Soulflame Crown Helmet Attachment, and the community unlocks more as sign-ups grow: the Soulflame Weapon Effect at 1 million (reached in September), the Soulflame Portal at 2 million, Chained Chimera Wings at 3 million and the Scourgeborn Boar Pet at 4 million. When we opened the page on 3 November, the bar sat just past the 1M marker, so two rewards were unlocked. That matches Grinding Gear Games’ 19 October update. The cosmetics are exclusive to this promotion and will not be sold in the shop. Grinding Gear Games’ registration FAQ gave 10 December as the deadline; its later posts say you have until 11 December. Buying Early Access does not register you.
Path of Exile 2 1.0: quick answers
When is the Path of Exile 2 full release date?
Will Path of Exile 2 be free?
Is Path of Exile 2 coming out on PS5 and Xbox?
Should I buy Path of Exile 2 Early Access before 1.0?
What time is the ExileCon 2026 keynote?
Is Path of Exile 2 on Steam Deck?
Path of Exile 2 on PC, PS5, Xbox and Steam Deck
| Platform | How it is sold now | Co-op / online | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| PC (Steam) | Three supporter packs, $29.99–$99.99 | Online | Mostly Positive: 77% of 98,136 English reviews; Steam Deck Verified |
| PC (standalone, Epic) | Six packs on pathofexile2.com, $30–$480 | Online | The Epic listing blocked our cloud browser, so we could not read it |
| PS5 | Founder’s Pack – Early Access, $29.99 | Online play required, up to 6 players | PS5 Pro Enhanced; 4.13/5 from 8.1K ratings |
| Xbox Series X|S | Game Preview | Online co-op 2–6, local co-op 2, cross-platform play | Package: 135.2 GB |
Path of Exile 2 PC requirements
| Tier | CPU | RAM | GPU | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum | Intel Core i7-7700 / AMD Ryzen 5 2500X | 8 GB | GeForce GTX 960 (3 GB) / Intel Arc A380 / Radeon RX 470 | A GPU with at least 3 GB of VRAM is required |
| Recommended | Intel Core i5-10500 / AMD Ryzen 5 3700X | 16 GB | GeForce RTX 2060 / Intel Arc A770 / Radeon RX 5600 XT | An SSD is recommended |
Path of Exile 2 download size
Steam asks for 100 GB of free space. Microsoft’s catalogue lists the current Xbox package at 135,193,645,056 bytes, which is 135.2 GB (125.9 GiB as the console counts it). Both numbers describe the Early Access build. The 1.0 patch could change them, so leave headroom. If you are new to the game, our game download time calculator shows how long 100–135 GB takes on your connection. It is worth starting the download on the evening of 10 December rather than at the unlock.
“From our checks: on 3 November we read Grinding Gear Games’ Steam announcements back to July, the official pack list on pathofexile2.com, Steam’s store data, the US PlayStation Store page and Microsoft’s catalogue, and took the screenshots in a browser. Steam’s live counter showed 9,155 people playing at about 03:10 UTC on a Tuesday morning, five weeks before 1.0, and 78% of the 801 reviews from the last 30 days were positive. Nothing we read contradicts the 11 December date.”
— Rayyan Omar, Games editor, Virtwave
Rayyan covers console and PC gaming wallets for Virtwave, with deep specialism in PlayStation Network, Xbox, Razer Gold and Steam. He has been writing about digital gaming commerce since 2020.
Paying for Path of Exile 2 with a Steam or Xbox gift card
The game is free from 11 December, so a gift card only matters for supporter packs and shop points. On Steam the packs are ordinary Steam purchases, so you can pay from your Steam Wallet: a Steam $20 card plus a Steam $10 card covers the $29.99 Early Access Supporter Pack, a Steam $50 card plus $10 covers Lord of Ogham, and a Steam $100 card covers King of the Faridun. The card has to match your Steam account’s currency, which our Steam gift card guide explains. On Xbox, a US Xbox $25 or Xbox $50 card adds Microsoft account balance; see how to redeem an Xbox gift card. If you are weighing Path of Exile 2 against Diablo IV’s shop, our Diablo 4 Platinum calculator and Battle.net balance guide cover the Blizzard side.
| Steam pack | Price | Cards that cover it | Left over (before tax) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Access Supporter Pack | $29.99 | Steam $20 + $10 | $0.01 |
| Lord of Ogham | $59.99 | Steam $50 + $10 | $0.01 |
| King of the Faridun | $99.99 | Steam $100 | $0.01 |
Sources & how we checked this
We checked every date, price and size on 3 November 2026, between 03:00 and 03:30 UTC, from a US storefront: Steam’s store page and API, the US PlayStation Store, Microsoft’s US catalogue, and pathofexile2.com in a headless browser. We do not sell Path of Exile 2 or its packs; we sell the Steam and Xbox cards mentioned above. More on our editorial policy.
- “Path of Exile 2 Fully Releases on December 11!”, Grinding Gear Games, 25 August 2026: the date, free-to-play and the Duelist.
- “Two Weeks Until ExileCon 2026!”, 25 October 2026: keynote time and streams.
- “Early Access Supporter Packs Leaving Soon”, 22 October 2026.
- Path of Exile 2 Full Release Registration FAQ, 26 August 2026, and the 19 October registration update.
- “Path of Exile II launches December 11”, Gematsu, 25 August 2026: the 1.0 platforms (PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S).
- “Path of Exile 2 is now Steam Deck Verified!”, 24 September 2026.
- Official Early Access Supporter Packs and the Full Release registration page, pathofexile2.com.
- Path of Exile 2 on Steam: pack prices, reviews, PC requirements.
- Path of Exile 2 Founder’s Pack on the US PlayStation Store.
- Path of Exile 2 on Xbox (catalogue data: release timestamp, package size, co-op flags).
