Path of Exile 2 becomes Steam's third most-played game while still in beta

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December 16, 2024 at 09:31 PM

Path of Exile 2 has launched in early access, achieving remarkable success with over 578,000 concurrent players on Steam, making it the platform's third most-played game. This achievement is particularly notable as the game requires a $30 entry fee, unlike its free-to-play competitors Dota 2 and CS2 which occupy the top spots.

The game has nearly tripled its predecessor's peak player count, despite only being available in a limited early access state with half of its planned content. Currently, Path of Exile 2 holds an impressive 82% positive review score on Steam, with many players considering it the best ARPG ever created.

Drawing inspiration from FromSoftware's Soulslike games, PoE 2 introduces challenging boss encounters and combat mechanics new to the ARPG genre. While this has created some difficulty spikes for traditional ARPG players, the game maintains strong popularity despite these design choices.

The early access period is expected to last at least six months, during which Grinding Gear Games plans to add:

6 additional character classes
12 new Ascendancies
3 more Acts

Technical issues and challenging gameplay elements are being addressed through regular updates, as the developers continue to refine the experience based on player feedback.