Slay the Spire 2 Hits Early Access Today: Everything You Need to Know

The king of roguelike deckbuilders is back. Slay the Spire 2 enters Steam Early Access today, March 5, 2026, at 10 AM PST. After a delay from its original launch window, Mega Crit’s sequel arrives with five playable characters, a brand new co-op mode, and a rebuilt engine. If you played the original, you already know why this matters. If you did not, this is one of the most important indie releases of the year.

Price, Platform, and Launch Time

Slay the Spire 2 costs $24.99 and is available exclusively on Steam during early access. It supports Windows, macOS, and Linux/SteamOS. The game is Steam Deck verified on day one thanks to its move to the Godot engine, which runs natively on Linux.

The global launch is simultaneous at 10 AM PST / 1 PM EST / 6 PM GMT. Console versions for PS5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch 2 are planned for the full 1.0 release, which Mega Crit estimates will come in 2027.

The Five Characters

The original Slay the Spire launched with three characters and added a fourth later. The sequel ships with five from day one. Three are returning favorites with completely overhauled kits. Two are entirely new.

The Ironclad returns as the starter character. A demonic warrior who heals after every combat. If you played the original, you know this one. The kit has been updated but the core identity is the same.

The Silent has received a major rework. Mega Crit introduced a new keyword called Sly. Cards with the Sly keyword are automatically played for free when they are discarded from your hand. This turns the Silent into a discard-synergy machine and opens up entirely new build paths that did not exist in the first game.

The Defect is back. The orb-channeling automaton returns with its signature mechanic of cycling through Lightning, Frost, Dark, and Plasma orbs.

The Necrobinder is the first new character and the most mechanically distinct in the roster. The Exhaust pile becomes a second hand called the Graveyard. You can retrieve exhausted cards, gain power from burning them, and summon physical entities with their own HP bars that can intercept incoming attacks. It plays unlike anything in the original.

The Regent is built around a resource called Stars and a mechanic called Forge. The Regent scales through Sovereign Blade upgrades and can craft specific cards mid-run rather than relying on random rewards. It is the most control-oriented character in the game.

4-Player Co-Op

The biggest addition is cooperative multiplayer. Up to four players can tackle the Spire together with multiplayer-specific cards and team synergies. Players interact on the map, draw routes collaboratively, and share camping nodes. Each player builds their own deck, but the synergies between classes create meaningful team composition decisions.

If you have been looking for a co-op roguelike to play with friends, this is the one to watch. For more co-op recommendations, check our best co-op indie games on Steam list.

What’s New from the Original

Beyond the characters and co-op, Mega Crit has rebuilt the game from the ground up.

New engine. Slay the Spire 2 runs on Godot instead of Unity. This is the reason the game runs natively on Linux and Steam Deck without a compatibility layer.

Enchantments. A new system layered on top of cards that adds modifiers and changes how cards behave. This adds another layer of decision-making to each run.

Alternate Acts. The map now includes branching paths with alternate acts, giving runs more variety and replayability even with the same character.

Over 100 cards are in the early access build, with more planned throughout the early access period.

Early Access Roadmap

Mega Crit estimates the early access period will last 1 to 2 years, the same timeframe as the original game. During that time, they plan to add:

• More cards, events, environments, and enemies
• A true ending
• Additional game modes
• Balance tuning and bug fixes
• Better hardware compatibility

The full 1.0 release will also bring console versions. If you prefer to wait for a finished product, that option is there. But the original Slay the Spire was one of the best early access experiences on Steam, and Mega Crit has earned the trust to do it again.

Should You Buy It Today?

If you loved the original, yes. The five characters alone offer dozens of hours of content, and the co-op mode adds a dimension that the first game never had. At $24.99, this is not a half-baked early access launch. Mega Crit has a track record of shipping substantial early access builds and improving them consistently.

If you have never played a roguelike deckbuilder, this is the definitive entry point. The original sold millions for a reason, and the sequel improves on it in every measurable way.

We covered the delay and what it meant for the indie calendar in our Slay the Spire 2 delays article. For more in the roguelike deckbuilder genre, check our best roguelike deckbuilders list.

Slay the Spire 2 is available now in Early Access on Steam for $24.99.