Path of Exile

Path of Exile is a free-to-play online action RPG by Grinding Gear Games. As exiles, players travel through the dangerous fantasy world of Wraeclast, fight monsters and develop their character through items, skill gems and a large talent tree.

After the campaign, additional maps, endgame bosses and long-term character development take center stage.

Path of Exile was released on Oct 23, 2013 for PC. The Xbox One version followed on Aug 24, 2017, the PS4 version in March 2019 and the native PS5 version in September 2024.

Grinding Gear Games continues to develop the game. The expansion Covens of Umbra releases on Nov 13, 2026.

Path of Exile is available for PC, Xbox One, PS4 and PS5. The PC version supports Windows and macOS. On PS5 there is a standalone native version.

On Xbox Series X|S, the Xbox version is playable with optimizations and Smart Delivery. The store lists the title for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S together.

Path of Exile combines fast isometric combat with an extensive hunt for loot. Weapons, armor and rare items affect damage types, defense and skills.

Players choose which enemies and challenges to take on and how to build up their character for tougher encounters.

On Windows, Steam requires at least Windows 10, a quad-core processor at 2.6 GHz, 8 GB RAM, a GeForce GTX 650 Ti or Radeon HD 7850 and 40 GB of free storage space.

Recommended: 16 GB RAM, a quad-core processor at 3.2 GHz and a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti or Radeon RX 560. An SSD is recommended.

Duelist, Marauder, Ranger, Shadow, Templar, Witch and Scion offer different starting points for character development. Each class has its own position on the shared passive skill tree.

Even two characters of the same class can take on completely different roles using different weapons, gems and passive abilities.

Active attacks and spells are used via skill gems. Support gems modify their properties and allow combinations for different builds.

The large passive skill tree adds bonuses to damage, survivability and other attributes to these choices. Development is closely tied to the gear you find.

After the campaign, maps lead through increasingly demanding enemies and boss fights. The Atlas passive skill tree helps determine which additional challenges and rewards appear.

On Nov 13, 2026, Grinding Gear Games announced a sweeping overhaul: Threads of Creation are set to replace Scarabs and further strengthen additional map mechanics directly at the map device. The Atlas passive skill tree is also being rebuilt.

Path of Exile grows through free expansions with new game systems, enemies and challenges. Time-limited challenge leagues run alongside the permanent game modes.

Covens of Umbra adds a new league in November 2026, along with changes to Atlas, loot distribution and existing endgame mechanics. The new Threads of Creation system is meant to simplify map preparation.

Path of Exile can be played alone or together online. Features include online co-op, trading and PvP.

The Xbox Store lists groups of two to six players for cooperative and competitive multiplayer matches.

Path of Exile can be downloaded and played for free. Stores offer optional in-game purchases, such as cosmetic customizations and additional quality-of-life features.

The campaign and endgame do not require purchasing the base game.