Path of Exile 2 has recently become incredibly popular on Steam, reaching almost 30 times more simultaneous players on the platform than usual. Path of Exile 2 is a hit action role-playing game, but a series of factors have helped it get into the spotlight during the latest weekend.

Ever since Path of Exile 2 was released in early access in December 2024, the title has become incredibly popular. Right off the bat, the action RPG peaked at an all-time count of 578,569 simultaneous players on Steam, a number that has been steadily decreasing since then. However, the latest weekend saw these numbers surging once more.

Path of Exile 2 Surpasses 353,000 Simultaneous Players on Steam During Free-To-Play Weekend

On August 31, Path of Exile 2 surpassed 353,000 simultaneous players on Steam, according to SteamDB (spotted by Dexerto), marking its largest peak since the original release. Before the weekend, Path of Exile 2’s player count on the platform was around 10,000 to 15,000 simultaneous gamers. The main reason for the peak popularity was that Path of Exile 2 became free-to-play during the weekend it released its “Third Edict” update.

Unlike its predecessor, Path of Exile 2 is not a F2P title, normally requiring at least the purchase of a $30 support pack to play. To commemorate the new update, however, developer Grinding Gear Games decided to allow the whole community to try it out, which is likely the main reason why the player count spiked so quickly.

The new Third Edict expansion for Path of Exile 2 is likely another reason why some fans are returning to the RPG. Released on August 29, version 0.3 introduced Act 4 to the game’s main campaign, including new areas in a Karui archipelago called Ngamakanui, more bosses, and more. Veteran players gained access to 25 endgame maps, more endgame encounters, changes in mechanics such as crafting, buffs to all major classes, and more.

Hopefully, Path of Exile 2 will continue to be popular as its developers continue working towards the 1.0 version. However, the RPG’s simultaneous player count will likely drop sharply in the next few days as the free weekend ends, and some gamers return to the original Path of Exile. Despite the sequel’s success, the first game in the franchise continues to be quite popular with fans.

Source - Gamerant 

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