When is the Hades 2 release date? After the award-scooping success of Hades, it is no surprise to anyone that a sequel is on the way. Fans of the first game are itching to play it on PS5 and Xbox (and to see if it’ll dominate awards shows like its older sibling).
Hades 2 will look to join the ranks of the best roguelike games when it launches – something that should be a fairly simple task given the overwhelming success of its predecessor. However, when it comes to its release date, things are less straightforward. The game will be going through early access first, but that will be restricted to just PC. So when can console players on PS5 and Xbox get their hands on Hades 2? Find out all the latest news below.
Hades 2 release date estimate
Hades 2 was released into Steam early access on May 6, 2024. The console release is expected to coincide with the full v1.0 launch of the game, which is currently unconfirmed by Supergiant. However, we anticipate it will arrive in Q2 2025, seeing as the studio has said that early access will run until the end of 2024 at the very least.
The early access window was initially confirmed in an official development update blog by Supergiant Games, pushing back the initial release date it had set from 2023 into early 2024. This is due to the studio simply wanting more time to polish and add to the game before it launched into early access. As the blog notes, Supergiant believed the new timeframe would be the “sweet spot” where the game was far enough along that feedback wouldn’t mostly consist of stuff the studio already knew wouldn’t be there, but there would still be time to action useful feedback.
The good news is that the revised road to early access proceeded smoothly. On April 16, 2024, Supergiant announced the Hades 2 Technical Test – a Steam-only bug-catching exercise that was estimated to last “longer than a week, shorter than a month.” As we know, it only took a couple of weeks for the studio to feel confident enough to release it into Early Access.
So why did Hades 2 head into Early Access first? Pushing the first game out on one platform before a full release date worked wonders, and Supergiant says that “early access will be no less important” with Hades 2. As such, we can expect a similar timeframe and approach overall to the first game’s early access period.
Supergiant says that there will be “several Major Updates adding the rest of the game’s core content and refining what’s there based on player feedback.” Moreover, the story is also set to expand with each update, adding more characters and deepening the relationships forged with the existing characters right up until the launch of version 1.0 for launch.
So far, we’ve had two sizable patches that have made dramatic tweaks to various gameplay elements. For example, Patch 1 made some welcomed quality-of-life changes to Melinoe’s dash, while Patch 2 overhauled the Daedalus Hammer upgrades. The response to both patches has been positive, and as we can see from the patch notes for both many of the changes made have been inspired by community feedback.
In the 1.0 update, Supergiant states that it will feature the conclusion to the story, alongside the usual finishing touches. Most importantly, this means early access players won’t be able to finish everything the game has to offer before it’s even released.
The Hades 2 PS5 and Xbox versions will also likely launch shortly after the final 1.0 update – we don’t expect there to be any kind of early access for console players considering this was the case with the original game.
Hades 2 story
Hades 2 casts you as the immortal Princess of the Underworld where you will explore a bigger, deeper mythic world vanquishing the forces of the Titan of Time, Chronos. With the aid of Olympus, Melinoë seeks to defeat Chronos to save her father, Hades.
The game retains the beloved character focus and mythology that everyone fell in love with from the first game, as you meet gods from Apollo to Zeus. Over the early access period, each update is set to expand on the story and the relationships between the characters right up until the full release of the game. At this point, players will be able to experience the full story.
Hades 2 gameplay
With Hades 2 now out in the wild on PC, there is plenty of early access gameplay going around. Before it kicked off, though, Supergiant surprised us with a three-hour Technical Test dev stream that took us through the game’s first area.
As you can see, there are Hades 2 characters that weren’t seen in the first game, including Hecate, Moros, and Nemesis. There are also plenty of new Boons and weapons to play around with, refreshing and diversifying combat even further. The biggest system shift lies in Melinoe’s assassin-mage playstyle, which is a major departure from Zagreus’ more traditional warrior stylings.
We don’t doubt that Supergiant will find other inventive ways to not just recapture the magic of the first game, but build upon it as early access continues. At the very least, new characters and boons mean tantalizing new builds to play around with – the wait for the console launch continues to get more difficult with each update.
Aside from these new features, the gameplay of the beloved Hades has remained intact, with roguelike staples mixed in with its clever storytelling.
While we won’t share any gameplay beyond the first area here – you can seek out spoilers at your own leisure – we will at least leave you with this sneak peek at everything the early access gang is getting up to.
Unfortunately, we have to wait, though. But while you do so, be sure to check back on this page regularly as we approach the Hades 2 release date. Hopefully, the sequel to one of the best games of all time can live up to its predecessor.