TheRetroArcade
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Joined: Feb 2026
Joined: Feb 2026
This is what it's like playing Slay the Spire 2 in early access, and all the major roguelike deckbuilder features you need to know about.
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Nearly nine years on from the release of the first game, Slay the Spire 2 has arrived in early access. The roguelike deckbuilder sequel has been an enormous smash hit, currently bringing in over 500,000 concurrent players at peak times.
But it's still got a long road ahead of it. According to developer Mega Crit, it could be in early access as long as two years while it adds "more gameplay content, a true ending, various game modes", and a lot more. So what should you expect from the current build, and is it better to jump in now, or to wait for a more complete experience later?
Release date: March 5, 2026 (early access)Price: $25 / £20, with plans to increase after the early access periodSteam Deck: Verified Full release: Expected between March 2027 and March 2028
Slay the Spire 2 is a roguelike deckbuilder, very much in the same style as the landmark first game. On each run, you progress through a series of turn-based battles in which you play cards to trigger your attacks and abilities. Defeating foes gives you new cards to add to your deck, allowing you to gradually build into different synergies and strategies.
Winning requires you to refine your deck into the most powerful set of combos you can achieve, taking advantage of interactions between cards as well as the effects of potions, relics, and enchantments.
The game includes 100s of cards and relics, and over 60 potions, as well as a wide variety of enemies and bosses. There are also five playable characters, including three—the Ironclad, the Silent, and the Defect—returning from the first game. The Regent and the Necrobinder are the new arrivals—the former a lazy alien monarch who can summon cosmic forces, and the latter a necromancer with a giant skeletal hand familiar.
There is only one singleplayer mode, but veterans of the first game will know that there's huge replay value in playing different characters and decks, and working your way up through Ascension, the game's ever escalating series of difficulty levels.
You also unlock Epochs as you reach different milestones in play, revealing elements of the backstory of the game along a timeline.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team....Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
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Every Friday
GamesRadar+
Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.
Every Thursday
GTA 6 O'clock
Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.
Every Friday
Knowledge
From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.
Every Thursday
The Setup
Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.
Every Wednesday
Switch 2 Spotlight
Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.
Every Saturday
The Watchlist
Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.
Once a month
SFX
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Nearly nine years on from the release of the first game, Slay the Spire 2 has arrived in early access. The roguelike deckbuilder sequel has been an enormous smash hit, currently bringing in over 500,000 concurrent players at peak times.
But it's still got a long road ahead of it. According to developer Mega Crit, it could be in early access as long as two years while it adds "more gameplay content, a true ending, various game modes", and a lot more. So what should you expect from the current build, and is it better to jump in now, or to wait for a more complete experience later?
Release date: March 5, 2026 (early access)Price: $25 / £20, with plans to increase after the early access periodSteam Deck: Verified Full release: Expected between March 2027 and March 2028
Slay the Spire 2 is a roguelike deckbuilder, very much in the same style as the landmark first game. On each run, you progress through a series of turn-based battles in which you play cards to trigger your attacks and abilities. Defeating foes gives you new cards to add to your deck, allowing you to gradually build into different synergies and strategies.
Winning requires you to refine your deck into the most powerful set of combos you can achieve, taking advantage of interactions between cards as well as the effects of potions, relics, and enchantments.
The game includes 100s of cards and relics, and over 60 potions, as well as a wide variety of enemies and bosses. There are also five playable characters, including three—the Ironclad, the Silent, and the Defect—returning from the first game. The Regent and the Necrobinder are the new arrivals—the former a lazy alien monarch who can summon cosmic forces, and the latter a necromancer with a giant skeletal hand familiar.
There is only one singleplayer mode, but veterans of the first game will know that there's huge replay value in playing different characters and decks, and working your way up through Ascension, the game's ever escalating series of difficulty levels.
You also unlock Epochs as you reach different milestones in play, revealing elements of the backstory of the game along a timeline.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team....Read more: Full article on www.pcgamer.com
What do you think about this?