Until merely hours ago, I had spent each day, bothering the ether with the same unrelenting inquiry;
“Where is my Slay The Spire 2 Early Access??”
As of late 2024. news had indicated an indeterminate Early Access release in 2025, but April, May, June came and went…
When I was accursed with the knowledge of its impending, but indeterminate release, the sun shone less brightly. Food was less tasty, and music had less soul for me.
Then, as if summoned by my yearning, I hear the voice of Mega Crit from the void whisper; “Early Access Timeline Update.”
As my resident psychic correctly divined, the object of my desire is further out of my hands. Early Access release is delayed to 2026.
Now, obviously, I’m just being dramatic. Mega Crit can truly take as much time as they need with it. Slay The Spire is such a good stand-alone game, that a sequel is just superfluous.
Slay The Spire pioneered the deck-building roguelike genre and carved a spire-shaped hole in many player’s hearts.
Many games came after it, but none quite scratched that same itch. So, to hear this ground-breaking title is getting a sequel is like telling meth addicts that “meth 2” is coming out.
So, instead of shaking from withdrawals, I decided to get my Spire fix by keeping myself – and you – informed on the latest “confirmed” release date for Slay The Spire 2 and some confirmed changes from the gameplay trailer.
Alright Slayers, Let’s get slaying.
Slay The Spire 2 Early Access (EA) Release Date and News
TLDR:
- Early Access Release Delayed to March 2026
- First announced in 2024
- Gameplay Trailers Said: “Still coming 2025”
- Game is currently in private playtesting stage
- Early Access Does Not Mean Finished Product
- Estimated final release in 2027-2028
Slay The Spire 2 News So Far:
Centuries ago, at the 2024 Game Awards, we got our first tantalizing look at Slay the Spire 2, enlightening us to something we didn’t know we needed. The gameplay trailer itself was superb. It perfectly teased graphical improvements, gameplay changes, and UI updates. The trailer concludes with the phrase, “(still) coming 2025” and players couldn’t help but get their hopes up and say, “Any day now!”
Even the official Steam store page stated a release date of 2025. So, we had to assume that meant Slay the Spire 2 Early Access in 2025, even if that meant 11:59pm on New Year’s Eve.
However, on Sept 12, 2025, we received word from Mega Crit in their newsletter and “Early Access Timeline Update” regarding an expected Early Access delay. Mega Crit says the game will be available on some “Secret Thursday” in March 2026.
As for why the game has been delayed, Mega Crit’s Dev team has stated:
“There is no single dramatic reason. Some personal life stuff hit the team (Everyone’s okay!), we just kept saying ‘wouldn’t it be cool if…’ one too many times, and honestly, the game just needs more polish to meet our standards.”
Mega Crit is currently privately playtesting the game, to ensure that it is ready for the “public playtesting” via Steam Early Access. While I understand these are both necessary steps in quality analysis, I am filled with unbridled jealousy that some lucky people are “slaying they spire” without me.
Once it finally arrives on Steam, Mega Crit will first launch it as an Early Access title. This means that while the game will be playable, players are to understand that they are not playing a final product and the game is very subject to change.
Games of this size typically only stay in Early Access for about a year or so, which puts the Slay The Spire 2 final release date to be sometime in mid 2027 or early 2028.
What’s confirmed to be new in the sequel?
TLDR:
- Ironclad and Silent Returning
- New Necrobinder Character and Mystery “????” Character
- Improved Animations, graphics, and UI
- Player Companions/Familiars
- Card Packs
- Future Modding Support
Sequel Changes From Gameplay Trailer:
Like any good studio should do, Mega Crit is rebuilding the game from scratch in a less technically limiting engine. Moving to the open-source Godot engine means they can add more features and polish to the game.
Just in the gameplay trailer alone we see a bit of voice acting, smooth fighting animations, new backgrounds and enemy designs. And although they are rebuilding the game from scratch, the Mega Crit team have somehow managed to not only retain their iconic art style, but also make noticeable improvements to the aesthetic.
The Ironclad and the Silent make a return in this game and I am glad for it. These two characters represent the most fundamental and iconic playstyles in Slay the Spire. These “base” characters help new players learn the ins and outs of the game, before moving to characters with more obscure mechanics and nuanced playstyles, like the Defect and Watcher.
In Slay The Spire 2, The Necrobinder is the confirmed new addition to the roster, but Mega Crit has also teased one more mystery character. While I am especially sad to see the Watcher go, I understand the need to replace her with something more engaging.
Some exciting new features we saw in the gameplay trailer include companions and card packs. I’m especially intrigued by the ability to have player companions, because it’s a major shift in the Spire balance formula. Fans of the original are no strangers to seeing enemies summon their own minions/companions/familiars, while they are forced to fight alone. By allowing players the choice to have “teammates”, Mega Crit offers a fresh new strategic avenue for players to explore.
I’m assuming the card packs function as a way to ensure the player sees some guaranteed synergy in their run, even if it’s not what they initially planned. A common complaint – or intended feature – of Spire is the inherent randomness in what cards are offered to the player. This means you can sometimes end up with a dud of a run where the cards offered to you simply don’t work well with each other. I would guess these card packs are a way to remedy this and give every run at least a fighting chance.
It’s also very exciting to see that Mega Crit has brought on some mod creators to help with quality of life changes and to incorporate fresh ideas into the series. The mod-friendliness of Mega Crit also basically guarantees future mod support for the game, which means that if the game doesn’t have something on release, someone will absolutely make a mod of it later.
The only thing we don’t see any semblance of is a difficulty system like the ascension tiers in the original. I am curious whether Mega Crit will keep the tried and true ascension system or try something entirely different. Thematically, it would make sense to keep it the same, but maybe new game engine means new difficulty challenges?
I cannot wait for this game to take up an unhealthy amount of my time. If you’re like me and find the wait agonizing, let me know with a comment below!
Arshnoor Batra
