Path of Exile 2 director doesn't think his action RPG will leave early access in March 2026 after all, and while "I certainly wouldn't want to slip into 2027," he doesn't want to "promise anything"

It seems Path of Exile 2's full release is about to shift yet again. Still in early access, the action RPG was loosely targeting launching into 1.0 in March 2026, but now the game's director, Jonathan Rogers, believes that’s looking increasingly unlikely.

He speaks about it with Eurogamer, and he's candid about his hopes versus reality. "I'm fairly confident that we won't be out of 2026, but as I said, I never want to really completely promise anything," he states. "But I don't think it'll end up being March; we'll have to see."

The goal prior to now was this year, but it became clear developer Grinding Gear Games wasn't going to hit that during the summer. Rogers then shifted expectations towards the first quarter of 2026, with the next possible window being March. Alas, it's likely not to be.

In terms of expectations, he refuses to be tied down, as the whole project seems to still be in flux. But sometime in 2026 is the outright goal, at least for now. "I don't have a specific timeline but I certainly wouldn't want to be any later than the end of next year," he adds. "Obviously we're trying to get there as fast as we can, but I certainly wouldn't want to slip into 2027."

Though this may be disappointing, it's important to note Path of Exile 2 has only been publicly available for a year, and there are still substantial updates happening. The campaign is still missing two acts, and once those arrive you’ll have the post-story gameplay and whatever other additions the team wants to make.

There are a lot of moving parts at play here, and it sounds like Rogers is trying to maintain a balance of optimism and pragmatism. Regardless of what happens, players can be sure there'll be plenty to sink their teeth into in the coming months.

For now, you can check out out early access Path of Exile 2 review.