Path of Exile 2 is doing the sensible thing for an ARPG that still has plenty of skeptics on the fence: it is opening the gates for a three-day free weekend and letting the update speak for itself.
Grinding Gear Games says the free period starts on 29 May at 22:00 and runs until 1 June. It lines up with the Return of the Ancients update, so this is not a tiny demo slice or a padded trial build. The pitch is simple: jump in, play the game, and decide whether the grind is for you.
Who gets in
- PC: Steam and Epic Games Store
- Xbox Series X/S: included
- PS5: left out of the party
That last one matters. If you were waiting to test Path of Exile 2 on Sony’s box, you’re not getting this weekend. GGG is being very specific about where the trial lives, and PlayStation is not on the list.
Why this is more than a marketing stunt
The free weekend comes with a few useful details that make it feel more deliberate than a desperate player grab. There is no preload, which means people will be downloading when the window opens. And the trial apparently includes the full game, so players can actually poke at the systems instead of being forced through a curated slice.
GGG is also cutting the price in half: 29 May to 12 June, with the Steam version dropping from 124.87 zł to roughly 62 zł. That is the kind of follow-up that turns curiosity into purchases instead of just noisy forum posts.
The economy note is the real tell
The other interesting bit is the currency tuning. GGG says Divine Orbs are being made more common in the new update because the studio does not want players measuring the game against a busted farming route from the previous version and feeling like the economy got nerfed into the floor.
That sounds dry until you remember what kind of game this is. In Path of Exile, currency balance is the game economy. If Divine Orbs feel too scarce, players do not just get grumpy — they start rewriting the entire value ladder in their heads. GGG is trying to head off that kind of whiplash before it starts.
The bigger win
The free weekend is also a clean way to show off the update’s new toys, including the Martial Artist Ascendancy, which already has people theorycrafting like it owes them money. If the goal is to get old ARPG regulars to take a second look, this is a better pitch than another cinematic trailer no one can skip.
Bottom line: Path of Exile 2 is getting a proper public trial, a half-price follow-up, and a useful economy adjustment. If you have been waiting for a low-risk way to see whether the sequel has settled into its identity, this is it. Just don’t expect PS5 players to be at the table.
