I’ve had a rather lovely long weekend sunning myself after Helios decided to throw the big yellow orb of warmth my way. However, its brightest spot arrived on Monday when Supergiant Games sneakily dropped Hades 2 into Early access on PC – farewell, outside world for the foreseeable future. Not only did I finally get to dash around Erebus as Melinoe, but my suspicions for the Hades 2 console release date were given more weight by a roadmap pop-up baked into the game – we’re possibly looking at 2025 for Hades 2 PS5 and Hades 2 Xbox versions, compadre.
“We expect to be in Early Access at least through the end of 2024,” Supergiant’s statement reads. “It’s too early to say when our v1.0 launch will be until we have a good feel for Early Access development.” It’s going to be a painful wait until the new year at the least for the follow-up to one of the best roguelike games, nay, one of the best games of all time – if you haven’t got a PC, that is.
With a bit of luck (and a smooth development cycle), we’re only looking at a year or so until v1.0 arrives – and with it the expected Hades 2 console launch. As Supergiant notes on its Steam page, “Hades 2 in Early Access already has more environments, foes, and fully-voiced characters than the full version of the original Hades game. But it isn’t complete, and key areas, characters, foes, narrative events, and systems are still to come.”
Major content updates will arrive “every few months,” the first of which will introduce a brand new region, Crossroads (hub) cosmetics, weapons aspects, and the final of six weapons planned for the roguelike game. Hades 2’s true ending will be added further down the line, alongside final character art, music, and more.
For such a grand undertaking Hades 2 is already in a great spot entering early access. Though I’ve only managed to venture partway into the second region so far, it’s clear that all of the original’s charm and quality storytelling has made its way across to the Crossroads and beyond. I was initially worried that the introduction of Magick would trivialize combat – I eased past the first region’s boss on my first attempt – but I’m pleased to say that enemy design is much more sophisticated this time around, offsetting the incredible power Melinoe can possess.
Indeed, if Supergiant can stick the landing with the game’s finale (and its remaining features), then I do not doubt that the full Hades 2 release date will hail the arrival of one of the best PS5 games and best Xbox games. I desperately hope the Hades 2 console launch won’t extend beyond next year, and I’m confident it won’t be that long before you too can enjoy the next chapter in the godlike roguelike series. That being said, you can’t rush perfection, and I’m more than willing to wait as long as necessary for Supergiant to polish its next magnum opus.
For more of the latest on more of the new PS5 games and new Xbox games set to arrive in the coming months, check out why the hunt for the GTA 6 Jason voice actor might be over. Additionally, peep the recently released teaser for portal shooter Splitgate’s upcoming sequel. If you haven’t already, make sure you’re following us on Google News – I’ll have plenty more to say on Hades 2 as we hurtle towards v1.0.