Path of Exile 2 early access release date and unlock times

A Path of Exile 2 sorceress casting flaming skulls in a hellish landscape

(Image credit: Grinding Gear Games)

Recent updates

December 6: Path of Exile 2 has sold very well, and that could spell trouble for the launch. "There are probably going to be some queues during the launch weekend," says game director Jonathan Rogers. "Before the launch, when we were ordering [server] capacity, we really didn’t expect to have more than a million people online at the same time."

Path of Exile 2 is the long-awaited follow-up to the free-to-play Diablo-like from Grinding Gear Games. Originally conceived as a new story campaign for the original Path of Exile, GGG's habit of piling a sanity-straining amount of mechanics, systems, and nesting skill trees into their software turned the would-be expansion into a full sequel.

After suffering a few delays since its announcement in 2019, Path of Exile 2 is set to enter early access on December 6, letting exiles play through its first two story acts with six of its eventual twelve character classes. Once they've burned through that story content, players can test the builds they've made with the revamped skill gem system in PoE 2's endgame. Someone's gotta knock the loot out of all those skeletons, after all.

Here's the launch times for Path of Exile 2, so you can know exactly when you'll be able to start comparing item affixes.

When does Path of Exile 2 early access launch?

Path of Exile 2 will launch in early access at 2 pm EST / 7 pm GMT on December 6. That makes for a pleasant 8 am NZDT morning launch for players in GGG's hometown of Auckland, New Zealand. Nice to start your day with a fresh coffee and a sprawling passive skill tree.

Here's that Path of Exile 2 early access unlock time for various global time zones:

11 am PST, December 6 (Los Angeles)
2 pm EST (New York)
7 pm GMT (London)
6 am, December 7 (Sydney)
8 am, December 7 (Auckland)

Is there preloading for Path of Exile 2 early access?

Yes, you can start installing Path of Exile 2 ahead of launch time, but only through the standalone client available for download from the PoE 2 website.

There's no early install on Steam, unfortunately. If you purchased a PoE 2 early access supporter pack through Steam, though, you're still able to preload if you login on the PoE 2 site and download the standalone client. If you eventually want to switch to a Steam install, you'll have to redownload it, but you can use the same PoE 2 account however you've got the game installed.

Is Path of Exile 2 free to play?

Not in early access. While PoE 2 will eventually follow in the first game's free to play footsteps, playing Path of Exile 2 in early access requires the purchase of an early access supporter pack. The cheapest costs $30 / £24 and includes 300 points to spend on PoE's various microtransactions, while the more expensive options include progressively more elaborate cosmetic offerings.

You can grab PoE 2 early access supporter packs through Steam, or from GGG directly on the PoE 2 website.

Lincoln has been writing about games for 12 years—unless you include the essays about procedural storytelling in Dwarf Fortress he convinced his college professors to accept. Leveraging the brainworms from a youth spent in World of Warcraft to write for sites like Waypoint, Polygon, and Fanbyte, Lincoln spent three years freelancing for PC Gamer before joining on as a full-time News Writer in 2024, bringing an expertise in Caves of Qud bird diplomacy, getting sons killed in Crusader Kings, and hitting dinosaurs with hammers in Monster Hunter.