Grinding Gear Games has named the full release date for Path of Exile 2: 11 December, Pacific time. The bigger part is that from that day the game becomes fully free to play. Right now early access still costs money, 27.75 euro on Steam.
What was announced
The announcement landed right after the Opening Night Live segment, in exactly two places: the game news on Steam and the official site, which already carries the free to play line and the 11 December date.
- Full release on 11 December. The date is given in Pacific time, so for most of Europe that is the evening or the night of the same day.
- The game goes free for everyone. Not a trial and not a perk for owners, the ordinary free to play model the first game runs on.
- The Duelist arrives with it. The class people have been asking for since the announcement got its own trailer at the show.
- Registration is already open. At pathofexile2.com/register there are rewards for signing up for news, and it works on every platform, including PlayStation and Xbox.
Why it matters even if you already paid
Early access opened on 6 December 2024 and it cost money: to get in you had to buy a supporter pack. Almost two years later that entry fee disappears entirely.
If you already handed over your twenty eight euro, that only stings at first glance. Path of Exile has always made its money on cosmetics and stash tabs rather than on the ticket at the door, and the whole early access was essentially a payment for playing before everyone else. Twenty four months of access for 27.75 is not the worst deal going.
The interesting part will be the rush. The first game keeps an audience for years on the free model, and if everyone piles in on 11 December the servers are in for a rough evening. GGG has plenty of practice at this, and plenty of launch queues in its history too.
Sources
The 11 December date and the move to free to play were announced in the Path of Exile 2 news on Steam on 25 August 2026 and repeated on the official site pathofexile2.com. The early access price of 27.75 euro and its start date of 6 December 2024 come from the game page on Steam. Developer and publisher Grinding Gear Games. The platforms follow the FAQ on the official site, which lists Steam, Epic, PlayStation and Xbox. The video is from the official Path of Exile channel.
