Grinding Gear Games sets May 7 reveal and May 29 release for Path of Exile 2 update 'Return of the Ancients'

Grinding Gear Games has set the timetable for the next major Path of Exile 2 update, announcing a live reveal for “Return of the Ancients” on May 7 and a playable release on May 29.

The studio posted the dates in a Steam news update headlined “Stop the Madness | Path of Exile 2: Return of the Ancients.” According to the announcement, the live reveal is scheduled for 1 p.m. PDT on May 7, which is 20:00 UTC, and it will stream on the official Path of Exile channel at twitch.tv/pathofexile. The update itself will go live on PC and consoles at 1 p.m. PDT on May 29, or 20:00 UTC. The post summed up the schedule this way: “Overcome the insanity … Live Reveal - 1PM May 7 PDT … Play on PC and Consoles - 1PM May 29 PDT … http://twitch.tv/pathofexile.”

That makes “Return of the Ancients” the next major content drop for Path of Exile 2, the action role-playing game developed and published by Grinding Gear Games. The game entered paid Early Access on Dec. 6, 2024, according to its Steam page, so this is an Early Access update rather than the full 1.0 launch. Some coverage has also identified the patch as version 0.5.0, reflecting the game’s pre-release state and staged update cadence.

The announcement follows a short teaser trailer released in late April, described in coverage as a cinematic preview tied to the same update. It also arrives after Grinding Gear Games signaled that the patch had grown beyond a typical expansion. Kelly, a community lead at Grinding Gear Games, said in a post on X quoted by PC Gamer, “This expansion is shaping up to be one of the biggest ones we’ve ever released; it just needs a little longer to cook! We’ve got some plans for the lead-up to GGG Live on May 7th PDT. Stay tuned, guys.”

The split between a dedicated reveal stream and the later playable release suggests Grinding Gear Games is treating “Return of the Ancients” as a significant milestone for one of the biggest action-RPGs currently in Early Access. Players on PC and consoles will get access on May 29, with fuller details expected when the May 7 reveal goes live.