Path of Exile 2 finally kicks off early access later this year, and the long-awaited action-RPG is introducing cross-play and couch co-op too

It's official: after years of waiting, Path of Exile 2 is set to begin early access in late 2024. During today's State of Play we got a look at the game's console and multiplatform features.

The headliners? Path of Exile 2 will feature couch co-op on console and will support cross-play and cross-progression wherever you want to play it. We got a preview of what to expect from the trailer at the PlayStation event, but the devs also provided a more extensive look at the console version - which is also coming to Xbox - to GameSpot, as you can see below.

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There's a team at Grinding Gear Games dedicated to the console version of Path of Exile 2 and optimizations for controller play. The game makes use of dual stick controls, with left stick on movement and right stick on aiming, so you can do things like move backwards as you hurl ranged attacks at rushing enemies. Controller binds appear to be completely customizable, so you can swap buttons to whatever best suits your build.

Couch co-op started as an "experiment," the devs explain, but it's evolved into a fully-featured thing with custom menus that'll let you and a friend fiddle with your respective inventories simultaneously. The second player will have the option of logging into their own POE account, but they can also simply play as a guest on your account. All this is available on PC, too - not just console.

Check out all our PlayStation State of Play live coverage for all the details on today's show, and follow along with us as the Summer Game Fest schedule for 2024 rolls on.