The gates to the Underworld are open as Hades II has finally announced its Playtest period. The Early Access for the first Supergiant Games sequel ever was announced to debut during the second quarter of 2024, and as we finally approach its release, players can register to start helping out testing the game.
While the exact date for Early Access wasn’t given to us just yet, players can register for the Hades II playtest by signing up on the game’s official Steam page. Click on the “Request Access” button and your account will be automatically registered to have a shot at joining it.
Note that this doesn’t guarantee you’ll be joining the testing period. You’ll need to get a bit lucky for that! Also, a testing period is different from Early Access. Only the first area is available, and players are expected to identify bugs and issues they run into. As a consequence, only a handful of players will be selected for the task.
Testings will begin shortly and should last “more than a week, less than a month”, using Supergiant Games’ own words. Actual Early Access should happen before July, when the game becomes available for everyone to purchase and play. This will not be a final release just yet, but it’ll doubtlessly have more content than the initial testing.
First announced back in 2022, Hades II follows the story of Melinoë, the Princess of the Underworld who’s trying to infiltrate the Underworld, mirroring the circumstances of the first game. Hades is at the mercy of the Titan of Time Chronos, and it’s up to his daughter to save him from impending doom. The first game left big shoes to fill, being widely considered a masterpiece. As good as it looks, the sequel has a hard task in living up to its predecessor’s name.