Hades 2 is now available through Steam Early Access and in just a single day it's more than doubled the original game's lifetime concurrent player count.
As reported by VGC, the May 6 Early Access launch of Hades 2 reached a peak of 79,276 concurrent players within 24 hours, according to tracking website SteamDB. The original Hades reached a lifetime peak of 37,749 concurrent players, meaning the sequel has already crushed its popularity on the platform.
Hades 2, which arrives as a sequel to the critically acclaimed Greek mythology themed roguelite, returns players to the world as they meet legendary figures like Odysseus, Nemesis, and Dora through a blend of storytelling, action gameplay, and dungeon crawling.
Its Early Access version has received positive critical reception too, earning a 9/10 from IGN. "Even in its Early Access state, Hades 2 is just about everything one could ask for in a sequel to one of the best roguelites of all time," we said.
"Featuring excellent refinements to its roguelite progression, a fantastic new main character in Melinoe, and two unique sets of levels that have you fighting foes on the surface and in the underworld."
Hades 2's full release date is yet to be announced, as have its platforms beyond PC despite the first game being available on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch. It likely won't arrive elsewhere until 2025, however.
"We expect Hades 2 to be in Early Access development at least through the end of 2024," developer Supergiant Games. "Given the nature of Early Access development, we don't have a specific end date planned at this time."
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.