It’s not often that an action RPG grows its player base by 2,200%, but that’s exactly what happened with Path of Exile 2. Thanks to Grinding Gear Games’ latest initiative, the game has experienced a massive surge in popularity.

Grinding Gear Games is enjoying great momentum with Path of Exile 2. The action RPG has just expanded its Early Access content with The Third Edict, a massive update that adds a fourth act, new rewards, and fan-requested changes. On top of that, the developers launched a free weekend event, which has delivered excellent results in terms of concurrent player numbers. Over the past few days, PoE2 has seen its player base skyrocket.

SteamDB data tells the story. While Path of Exile 2 recorded a peak of 578,569 concurrent players at its Early Access launch in December 2024, its popularity steadily declined in the following months. For weeks, the game was averaging only 5,000–15,000 concurrent players per day. But between August 29 and September 1, the free weekend sparked a dramatic turnaround.

As shown in the charts, the concurrent player count for Path of Exile 2 shot past 330,000 within hours, driven by the influx of gamers eager to test the action RPG during the free event. Even better, on September 2, the title still held strong with more than 100,000 concurrent users. In other words, many players opted to purchase Early Access (currently paid, with a full free-to-play release planned later) to continue their adventure.

The Power of Free Weekends

Path of Exile 2 isn’t the first game to benefit from such an initiative. Free weekends have become a proven promotional tool in the industry, giving titles a second wind and boosting their communities. Beyond Grinding Gear Games’ hit, titles like Battlefield 1 and Battlefield 2042 also enjoyed major surges in active users thanks to EA’s decision to open access for a weekend.

What’s most intriguing about Path of Exile 2 is that it’s still in Early Access. As noted, players can either pay now to join the experience early or wait until the full release, which will be free-to-play. There’s no confirmed date for the 1.0 version, though Grinding Gear Games has already admitted it won’t be launching in 2025 as originally promised.

Source: 3djuegos