Path of Exile 2 has a date for its full release. This hub gathers what the developer, Grinding Gear Games, has confirmed about the 1.0 launch, and it says plainly where nothing has been announced yet. GameNavigator is an independent guide site and not affiliated with the developer. This guide will be updated once the official 1.0 patch notes are published.
The short version
- Date: December 11, 2026 (PST), announced on August 25, 2026.
- Price: the game launches as a free-to-play action RPG.
- New class: the Duelist arrives on the same day.
- Story: RPG Site reports that the remaining two main story Acts are added.
- Open questions: launch time, the league format, and what happens to Early Access characters are not confirmed as of 2026-10-18.
Release date
Grinding Gear Games announced on its official forum that Path of Exile 2 "launches as a fully free-to-play action RPG on December 11 (PST)". The date is given in Pacific time. No launch hour has been named, so the clock time in your region is not confirmed yet (as of 2026-10-18). Because the date is in PST, players in Europe and Asia may see it fall on December 11 or 12, depending on the hour that is eventually announced. Wait for the official time before planning around it.
Free-to-play, and what you can buy
With 1.0, the game becomes free-to-play. RPG Site reports that it will be free-to-play "with optional microtransactions for cosmetics and additional stash tabs". That is what is reported so far. Details such as prices and bundle contents are not confirmed as of 2026-10-18.
Platforms
RPG Site lists PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC for the 1.0 release. CGMagazine reports the same spread of PC, Steam, PlayStation, Xbox and Epic. The official announcement thread itself does not list platforms, so treat the platform list as press reporting. Whether other platforms follow is not confirmed.
The Duelist
The official announcement says the Duelist was "revealed in a new trailer"; CGMagazine reported the 1.0 announcement from gamescom's Opening Night Live. The official Forbidden Rites FAQ settles the timing: "Duelist will be released on December 11th when Path of Exile 2 1.0 fully launches." So he does not appear in the current event league. RPG Site describes him as the game's first sword-wielding class, and the official deep dive speaks of a "fast, aggressive, and fluid fighting style" and a Ready Stance mechanic tied to certain Skills. Skill and ascendancy details are not final until the 1.0 patch notes appear.
Story: the remaining Acts
RPG Site reports that 1.0 adds "the remaining two main story Acts" and so completes the campaign. How those Acts are structured and what they contain is not confirmed (as of 2026-10-18).
Leagues until 1.0
The current event league, Forbidden Rites, started with patch 0.5.5 in September 2026. The official FAQ is clear on its length: it "will run until the 1.0 full release and will end alongside Runes of Aldur." The Runes of Aldur league also keeps running until 1.0. So neither league ends early: both are scheduled to end with the 1.0 release.
The FAQ adds that Runes of Aldur "is being added to the core game", so that content can be played in Standard, the permanent league.
What happens to your Early Access characters
This is the question most players ask, and the honest answer is that it has not been officially confirmed (as of 2026-10-18). None of the official pages we checked says whether characters or currency carry over to 1.0, whether 1.0 starts with a new league and a fresh economy, or whether league characters move to Standard when the leagues end. Some third-party sites state these things as fact. We do not repeat them, because we found no official statement.
What we can say from the official FAQ: both current leagues end with the 1.0 release, and Runes of Aldur content is meant to become available in Standard. Anything beyond that is speculation until the 1.0 patch notes or a dedicated announcement arrives.
A sensible approach until then: do not assume your league progress will carry over, and finish the challenges you care about before December 11.
Pre-registration rewards
The official announcement says players can "unlock exclusive milestone rewards on the road to launch". The official registration announcement of 2026-09-22 names the deadline and what is certain: "You have until December 11 PST to register", and "everyone who registered will receive at least two exclusive cosmetic effects when Path of Exile 2 fully launches on December 11th". At that point there were "three more rewards to unlock"; the official site shows the current list.
What to do before December 11
- Finish league challenges you want, since both leagues close with 1.0.
- Wait for the official launch time before planning a day-one session.
- Read the 1.0 patch notes before committing to a Duelist build.
- Treat any claim about character transfers as unconfirmed until it comes from the official forum.