Hades 2 has been early access done right — I hope others can learn from Supergiant’s roguelike success

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As the release of Hades 2 from Supergiant Games gets closer, I’ve been thinking about how successfully the team has used the early access approach.

Supergiant Games wasn’t new to the early access model when they released Hades 2 in May 2024. They’d used a similar approach with the first Hades, gradually adding story content, improving the art, and fine-tuning gameplay elements like weapons and boons over time.

With Hades 2, that formula has been perfected.

Hades 2 picks up the story from the original game, following Melinoë – Zagreus’s sister – as she fights to defeat Chronos, the Titan who has captured her family and is attacking Olympus.

Many games now launch in ‘early access,’ meaning developers release an incomplete version to get feedback from players before the final release.

Many games struggle after leaving early access, often failing to maintain the player base and excitement they had during development. However, Hades 2 appears poised to repeat the success of the original Hades.

Over the past year, Supergiant’s early access release for Hades 2 has gone very well, avoiding major delays or setbacks. The game was already quite substantial in this early stage, offering players multiple areas to explore and bosses to fight.

The game has grown significantly with frequent updates, introducing new locations, enemies, weapons, and other content. I especially love the Olympic Update, which gave Melinoë a powerful mech suit – it’s incredibly cool!

A common issue with early access games is that it’s easy to lose track of what’s happening when you take a break for weeks or months, making it tough to pick up where you left off and regain your momentum. Supergiant Games handles this really well, finding a perfect balance.

As a huge fan of both Hades and now Hades 2, I think a big reason why early access works so well for these games is the way they’re built. Because the story is designed around repeating runs, it doesn’t feel strange at all to pick the game up after a long break. You’re *supposed* to be looping back, so it feels natural, even in an unfinished state!

It’s never really been disappointing to finish a good playthrough, only to realize there wasn’t any more story to experience. It’s alright though – consider it just another training session as Melinoë continues to learn and grow.

I’ve really enjoyed playing Hades 2 – I’m over 70 hours in! What’s great is that even after long breaks, like a month or more, it’s always easy to pick up and play again.

I absolutely love the original Hades, and I’m really excited about Hades 2. It’s coming out soon, and I’m hoping it will be even better than my all-time favorite game.

Hades 2 is currently playable in early access on Windows PCs through Steam and the Epic Games Store. The full game is scheduled to release on September 25, 2025, and will also be available on Nintendo Switch and the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2.

This game will be available on Nintendo consoles first, and players on Xbox and PlayStation will have to wait before they can play it.

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2025-09-21 16:39