Path of Exile
In the codexActionAdventureIndie

Path of Exile

You are an Exile, struggling to survive on the dark continent of Wraeclast, as you fight to earn power that will allow you to exact your revenge against those who wronged you. Path of Exile is an online Action RPG set in a dark fantasy world. The game is completely free and will never be pay-to-win.

DEV: Grinding Gear GamesPUB: Grinding Gear GamesAppID 238960
UPDATE PULSEevery ~1d·last 4d ago·30 recent on record

Is Path of Exile still being updated? — the short answer, with the evidence.

94.7
Excellent

Elixir Rating

89.1% of 249,935 Steam reviews are positive, which after adjusting for sample size gives a reception score of 88.9. The developers have shipped 2 substantial updates in the past six months, adding 5.8.

reception 88.9·support +5.8·Excellent

Computed from Steam’s own review tally and observable developer activity — never from anyone’s opinion of the game. How this is calculated

Should you look into this?

From Steam's own record

Development

Actively supported

Last heard from developers

4 days ago

Usual rhythm

every ~2 days

Substantial updates (6 mo)

2

Current silence

3× normal

The developers post roughly every 2 days and were last heard 4 days ago — within their normal range. 2 substantial updates landed in the past six months, 2 of them major.

Distilled by the oracle

Our coverage

2 dispatches written from this game’s announcements

releaseAug 21, 2026

Path of Exile's Last of the Druids MTX Arrive in the Store

Grinding Gear Games has moved the Last of the Druids cosmetic line out of its Mystery Box and into the direct-purchase store, making the items available to Path of Exile 1 and Path of Exile 2 players simultaneously.

What changed

  • Over 60 microtransactions are now listed in the store
  • Offerings span Armour Sets, Portals, and Level-Up Effects, among other categories
  • The items were previously only obtainable through the Last of the Druids Mystery Box

The shift from box-only to storefront availability means players can select specific items rather than relying on randomised draws — a distinction that matters to anyone who wanted a particular piece without committing to a blind purchase.

The announcement, posted by Natalia_GGG on 16 August 2026, also points to a video showcasing the full selection for those who want a closer look before spending.

patchAug 19, 2026

Path of Exile Fan Art Competition Opens, Closes September 2

Grinding Gear Games has announced a fan art competition for both Path of Exile and Path of Exile 2, themed around the Return of the Ancients and Curse of the Allflame expansions. The competition opened on August 9, 2026, and submissions close on Wednesday, September 2 at 10 PM PDT.

Prize breakdown

Prizes are tiered across four placement bands:

  • Top 3: Developer-signed poster, two T-shirts, pins, Chaos Orb socks and deskpad, Exalted Orb Cap, plus a choice of Armour Set, Portal Effect, and Footprints Effect; winners also receive a forum avatar based on their submission
  • 4th–5th: One T-shirt, socks, two pins, deskpad, and the same in-game cosmetic choices
  • 6th–10th: One T-shirt, socks, one pin, Portal Effect, and Footprints Effect
  • 11th–20th: Choice of Portal Effect
  • Runners-up: One Curse of the Allflame Mystery Box

Conditions

All submissions must be original work created after the competition's start date. AI-generated art is explicitly disqualified. Late entries will not be considered.

For players who have been engaging with the recent expansion content, the competition offers a rare chance to turn that engagement into physical memorabilia — including developer-signed posters — alongside in-game cosmetics that typically require direct purchase.

Two years of development

■ substantial ■ routine

Oct2025AprJulOct2026AprJul

41 announcements · 2 substantial · 19 months with nothing

Recent Transmissions

30 entries in codex

Community AnnouncementsSep 25, 2026
The Last of the Druids Sale - Get One Free Mystery Box When You Spend Points

This weekend, we’re running a sale on microtransactions from past Mystery Boxes, including the Last of the Druids cosmetic effects. In addition, we’re offering one free Curse of the Allflame Mystery Box when you spend points in the store. W…

Community AnnouncementsSep 23, 2026
The Final Path of Exile 1 ExileCon Qualifier Begins Tomorrow - New Twitch Drops

The fourth and final Path of Exile 1 Qualifier tomorrow will conclude our series of in-game ExileCon events. Don’t miss out on finding out who will become the fourth finalist by watching the race live at https://www.twitch.tv/pathofexile, w…

Community AnnouncementsSep 17, 2026
The Third Path of Exile 1 ExileCon Qualifier Is Going Live!

Will you be the next to join allexpleblord and imexile at ExileCon 2026? Join the third Path of Exile 1 Qualifier for your chance to earn a spot in the finale this November! If you’re not participating, tune in to the stream, going live in …

Community AnnouncementsSep 16, 2026
The Third Path of Exile 1 ExileCon Qualifier Begins Tomorrow - Earn Twitch Drops

Catch the third ExileCon Path of Exile 1 Qualifier tomorrow at 2 PM PDT on September 17, at https://www.twitch.tv/pathofexile. Earn the Darkshard Helmet Attachment by watching the official broadcast or any Path of Exile 1 stream for 30 minu…

Community AnnouncementsSep 14, 2026
Fan Art Competition Runners-Up

Last week, we announced the winners of our Fan Art Competition. Today, we'd like to announce and highlight the runners-up. Congratulations and thanks to everyone who participated in this competition! Click here to check out the runners-up!

Community AnnouncementsSep 10, 2026
The Path of Exile 1 ExileCon Qualifier #2 Has Begun!

The second Path of Exile 1 ExileCon Qualifier is now underway! Who will join allexpleblord at ExileCon 2026 and earn their spot at the offline competition taking place in November? Catch all the action live at https://www.twitch.tv/pathofex…

Community AnnouncementsSep 10, 2026
Watch the Path of Exile 1 ExileCon Qualifier Tomorrow - Earn Twitch Drops

The second ExileCon Path of Exile 1 Qualifier begins tomorrow! Tune in to https://www.twitch.tv/pathofexile at 2 PM PDT on September 10 to watch the action live and earn the Scavenger Hood through Twitch Drops! Twitch Drops will be availabl…

Community AnnouncementsSep 8, 2026
Fan Art Competition Winners

Our Fan Art Competition concluded last week, with more than 150 Exiles submitting artwork inspired by the latest Path of Exile and Path of Exile 2 content expansions. With the help of our art team, we’ve selected the winners and are now rea…

Community AnnouncementsSep 3, 2026
Watch the Path of Exile 1 ExileCon Qualifier Tomorrow - Earn Twitch Drops

The first ExileCon Path of Exile 1 Qualifier begins tomorrow! Tune in to https://www.twitch.tv/pathofexile at 2 PM PDT on September 3 to watch the action live and acquire a reward doing so! Twitch Drops will be available for 24 hours once t…

Community AnnouncementsSep 1, 2026
Path of Exile 1 Build Showcase: Luminary Facebreaker

Turn your fists into the heaviest matter in Wraeclast with today's Build Showcase episode. This Luminary Facebreaker build by Alohaa features the new Scion Ascendancy and relies on a specific Mercenary for its core interaction. Check it out…

Community AnnouncementsAug 31, 2026
Fan Art Competition Highlights #3

We’ve launched the Fan Art Competition a while back, which is inspired by the latest expansions in Path of Exile 1 and Path of Exile 2. Since then, the community has shared plenty of incredible artwork, and we’ve gathered some of the latest…

PC GamerAug 28, 2026
Path of Exile 2's first event league goes 'oops, all bosses' and reworks its worst mode so sane people can finally enjoy it

fter the tremendous Return of the Ancients update to Path of Exile 2, it wouldn't take much to convince me to play more of it. The action RPG is the best it's ever been and finally feels ready to come out later this year. So when developer …

PC GamerAug 25, 2026
Path of Exile 2 is finally getting swords in December, and also the rest of the game

It's finally time for the one thing every Path of Exile 2 player has been waiting for: swords. A new class and weapon type is coming to the action RPG later this year—oh, and the full 1.0 release of the game... Read more.

Community AnnouncementsAug 25, 2026
Path of Exile 1 ExileCon Qualifiers Begin Next Week

It’s finally happening! The ExileCon Path of Exile 1 Qualifiers kick off next week, with the top racers from all four qualifier events earning the chance to compete in the live final at ExileCon in New Zealand. The competition will take pla…

Community AnnouncementsAug 23, 2026
Fan Art Competition Highlights #2

Our Fan Art competition, themed around the latest expansions in Path of Exile 1 and Path of Exile 2, is in full swing! Check out the recent highlights below! darkshadowsblood#1004 PropagandaPandá#7473 tequilalover#7722 SimoneIF#7126 Veronik…

Community AnnouncementsAug 18, 2026
Path of Exile 1 Build Showcase: Spinning Magma Saboteur

If you like spicy, but spin-worthy builds, check out the Spinning Magma Saboteur build by Zurku351! It revolves around one thing though: a whole lot of magma! Using a combination of Cyclone, Cast While Channelling & Rolling Magma - start sp…

Community AnnouncementsAug 17, 2026
Fan Art Competition Highlights

Last week, we started a Fan Art competition themed around the latest expansions in Path of Exile 1 and Path of Exile 2, and we’ve already received many great submissions. Check out the highlights in this news post! Shinoono#0784 Sabacu#4442…

Community AnnouncementsAug 16, 2026
The Last of the Druids Microtransactions Are Now Available in Store

Microtransactions from the Last of the Druids Mystery Box have finally been released in the store for Path of Exile 1 and Path of Exile 2! From Armour Sets to Portals and Level-Up Effects, there are over 60 new microtransactions available, …

Read our dispatch on this

Read this patch for

Community AnnouncementsAug 9, 2026
Fan Art Competition

It’s been a while since we last hosted a fan art competition, and with the recent updates to Path of Exile 1 and Path of Exile 2, we’re sure our community artists have plenty of inspiration to draw from. We’re excited to announce a Path of …

Read our dispatch on this
Community AnnouncementsAug 5, 2026
Path of Exile: Curse of the Allflame Interview with Zizaran

Yesterday, Path of Exile 1 Game Designers Andrew and Octavian sat down with community streamer Zizaran to discuss Path of Exile: Curse of the Allflame. In case you missed it, check out the VOD below.

Community AnnouncementsAug 3, 2026
Path of Exile 1: Curse of the Allflame Developer Interview

Later this week, Game Designers Octavian and Andrew will join Zizaran to discuss Path of Exile: Curse of the Allflame. Tune in to hear the team discuss the latest developments and answer questions from the community. 2pm Tuesday August 4th …

PC GamerJul 31, 2026
After a year and a half of rigorous testing, Path of Exile 2 devs finally convinced Nvidia to fix a driver bug by sending it an entire PC

There was a point in the most recent Path of Exile 2 league that I thought I would have to quit playing the game. Every 20 minutes or so, the entire game would freeze. I'd wait for a solid 30 seconds before everything came back to life, pra…

Community AnnouncementsJul 28, 2026
New Unique - The Draugur’s Lantern

If setting things alight is your specialty, The Draugur’s Lantern has you covered. Check out this new unique item coming in 3.29.1.

Community AnnouncementsJul 27, 2026
What We're Working On - Curse of the Allflame

Over the weekend, we launched Path of Exile 1: Curse of the Allflame, and it's been fantastic to see so many of you plunging in to explore everything the expansion has to offer.As with any major launch, we've been closely monitoring your fe…

Community AnnouncementsJul 25, 2026
Introducing the Path of Exile 1: Curse of the Allflame Mystery Box

We've just released the Curse of the Allflame Mystery Box, a new mystery box with no duplicate microtransactions! There are 56 microtransactions (including variations) that you can find in the Curse of the Allflame Mystery Box. Many of thes…

Community AnnouncementsJul 24, 2026
Curse of the Allflame Challenge Rewards

In the Curse of the Allflame league, you'll be able to earn four new free cosmetic rewards by completing 40 new challenges. Better yet, every reward you unlock can also be used in Path of Exile 2! At 12, 24, 32, and 36 challenges you’ll rec…

Community AnnouncementsJul 23, 2026
Path of Exile 1: Curse of the Allflame Luminary Showcase

Whether you're planning your league starter or looking for new endgame build ideas, this showcase sheds some light on how the Luminary opens up entirely new ways to play by commanding Mercenaries, enhancing Link skills, and creating powerfu…

Community AnnouncementsJul 23, 2026
Path of Exile 1: Curse of the Allflame Twitch Drops 

To celebrate the launch of Path of Exile 1: Curse of the Allflame, we'll be running a week of Twitch Drops starting from 1:00 PM 24 July PDT! Nautical Explorer Back Attachment Start Time: July 24th 1:00 PM PDTEnd Time: August 1st 4:59 AM PD…

PCGamesNJul 23, 2026
Path of Exile's total skill gem overhaul is the perfect moment for new players to jump in

If you've been toying with the idea of trying the first Grinding Gear Games ARPG, Path of Exile 3.29 is looking like the best moment yet. Read the full story on PCGamesN: Path of Exile's total skill gem overhaul is the perfect moment for ne…

Community AnnouncementsJul 23, 2026
New and Changed Gems in Path of Exile 1: Curse of the Allflame

Path of Exile 1: Curse of the Allflame introduces several new Gems, including the new Pact Gems and changes to existing Skill and Support Gems. Today we’ve prepared the gem data at level 20 with 20% quality for all new and changed gems to h…