Path of Exile 1 and 2: future support and recent updates

With the recent growth in the player count for Path of Exile 2, questions have been raised about the future of Path of Exile 1. Grinding Gear Games has confirmed it has no plans to end support for the older title as long as players keep showing up. This article covers the latest developments and how both games are being supported side by side.

Support for Path of Exile 1

Jonathan Rogers, co-founder of Grinding Gear Games, stressed that support for Path of Exile 1 will continue as long as the player base makes it viable. He said Path of Exile 1 launches consistently draw hundreds of thousands of concurrent users, which is a major reason to keep the game actively supported.

“We have no motivation to stop developing POE 1,” Rogers said. “As long as there are players, there’s no reason to do that.” The statement makes it clear that Grinding Gear Games believes strongly in keeping both Path of Exile 1 and Path of Exile 2 alive together.

Recent updates for Path of Exile 2

The Return of the Ancients update for Path of Exile 2 went live on 29 May 2026 and has driven a significant spike in player numbers, with peaks of more than 400,000 concurrent users on Steam. The update has completely reworked Path of Exile 2’s endgame, adding more depth and structure to the game.

The Atlas map, which many players found confusing, now features new questlines to help guide players through post-campaign content. The Return of the Ancients update also added Steam Deck verification for Path of Exile 2, an important step for handheld play on the platform.

Parallel development of both games

Grinding Gear Games has built the capacity to run Path of Exile 1 and 2 side by side, something that caused issues in the past. Rogers noted that during the early period of Path of Exile 2, Path of Exile 1 suffered because development focus shifted to the sequel. “We had a long period where we didn’t have launches for POE 1,” Rogers said.

Now, with separate teams working on each game, both titles can be managed efficiently. Rogers said Path of Exile 1 launches are back on track and that the situation is now under control.

The situation around Path of Exile 1 and Path of Exile 2 shows Grinding Gear Games’ commitment to its games and community. With a strong player base for both titles, there appears to be no end in sight for support and content development.