What is the Slay the Spire 2 release date? Slay the Spire fans knew Mega Crit were in the kitchen cooking up something fierce after ending development on its debut game back in 2020. While there have been some small updates to fix some bugs and ensure compatibility on the Steam Deck, the original game has been complete for years.
First revealed at the Triple-I Initiative Showcase in April 2024, roguelike game to be completely different this time.
Slay the Spire 2 release date estimate
The Slay the Spire 2 release date window is 2025, as confirmed during the reveal trailer at the Triple-I Initiative Showcase. Slay the Spire 2 is coming to PC, MacOS, and Linux. There's a very high chance that the game will launch on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Series X|S, and iOS and Android devices, as its predecessor did.
After the new policies set by the engine creator. The statement mentioned that the dev's latest game was being built in Unity over the past two years, but it would migrate from the platform entirely if the fee policy changes came into effect.
In a statement to IGN, Mega Crit confirmed it won't be using Unity: "A Mega Crit representative confirmed that Slay the Spire 2 has since fully migrated off Unity and will instead use Godot — a free and open-source cross-platform engine." Many indie games have been built using Godot, so this won't stop Slay the Spire 2 from launching on multiple platforms. A price for the game has not been announced right now, and the developer has revealed on the Steam discussion boards that Slay the Spire 2 doesn't feature microtransactions.
Slay the Spire 2 early access
Slay the Spire 2 is set to launch on Steam Early Access in 2025. Megacrit confirmed in a blog post back in September 2024 that the plan is to launch in early access on PC, MacOS, and Steam Deck (Linux).
The original game was scheduled to be in early access for one year, and it ended up spending 1.5 years instead. The from the community means certain features could take a while to implement, so it's difficult to nail down exactly how long this process could take.
The team attributes the card game's success to early access, as the community did a great job reporting bugs and helping out with translations. This doesn't necessarily rule out a launch on the Epic Game Store, but the devs have not confirmed anything other than Steam right now.
Slay the Spire 2 story
The Spire was closed after the events of the first game where the Ironclad, Silent, Defect, and Watcher helped shut the door on the tower filled with evil beings. After 1,000 years, the Spire has reopened its doors, awakening the giant alien whale known as Neow. This creature appears to you at the beginning of each run in the original game, blessing you with items before you set off to scale the tower once again.
According to the game's lore, it was believed that the four characters were doomed to fight for eternity, but the Defect and Watcher are nowhere to be seen in the game's first trailer. There's a chance they may return at a later date, but right now, there are only four confirmed characters in Slay the Spire 2.
Slay the Spire 2 characters
We got a glimpse of Ironclad and Silent return in the reveal trailer, as they visit a shop merchant and walk through some new environments. Just as the duo approach the entrance of the Spire, a third mysterious character that appears to be a floating skeleton with a scythe appears next to them.
Thanks to the extra information on the Slay the Spire 2 Steam page, we know this third character is known as The Necrobinder. This character is unique in that it starts with just 35 health, a surprisingly low amount given that the Silent who used to have the lowest starting health begins with 70. The description for the character reads: "A wandering lich who seeks to bind the forgotten corpse. Calls upon her trusty left hand, Osty in combat."
On the game's FAQ page, the developer stated that the full character lineup for the early access period has not been revealed yet. What's interesting is that they specifically mentioned early access, not necessarily the full game, which could potentially have more characters than the ones we already know about.
There are multiple reasons to believe we'll see the Defect and Watcher reappear, though more signs point towards the Defect returning sooner based on the clues in the trailer. There are Defect-exclusive relics from the first game that appear in the trailer, and the Merchant is seen selling Defect cards in their store.
You also need to that the Defect is a robot, and as we all know, robots can live forever. Therefore, there's no reason why Neow couldn't resurrect Defect, or at least find it some batteries to come back to life. Finally, the Slay the Spire X has posted several times about players missing Defect, or about Defect not appearing in the reveal trailer. By acknowledging the character's absence, the fans are hoping that means there's a chance Defect is revealed before the game launches.
A fourth mysterious, unnamed character was shown at the end of the first official gameplay trailer. This creature has yellow, tentacled hands, and a star-like face with a glowing central area. They wear blue sparkling robes with red pants and gold shoulder armor, and they wield a glowing golden star in their hand.
Slay the Spire 2 trailers
The first gameplay trailer revealed an evolved spire with twisted paths, new enemies, as well as returning favorite characters. The trailer begins with a slow zooming shot of a mysterious, blood-soaked tome, titled 'Top Ways to Conquer the Spire' as its pages turn. "You find this manuscript highly suspicious because it's covered in blood," the trailer's narrator states.
We see the Silent facing a new enemy type with fungi sprouting from its body. The Silent also faces off against what we're assuming is a new boss, with large jewel-adorned antlers, an icy white appearance, and a large amount of health. It also has 40 stacks of a mysterious deer-like buff, though it's unclear what effect this has.
We also got to see the Necrobinder in action. It has four cards in its hand, including some new ones, but most notably also has an additional character aiding it in the form of a disembodied skeletal hand, known as Osty. A new system, Doom, affects the way some existing cards play out. Scourge+ is shown to apply 17 Doom. The Necrobinder is seen taking on a large, worm-type creature with individual HP bars for each segment.
Slay the Spire 2 news
In the October 2024 edition of the 'art direction by hiring a full-time art director and animator. By hiring people to improve the game's art, Megacrit's goal is to make Slay the Spire 2 feel bigger than the first game by introducing new characters, enemies, and sets.
The November 2024 issue detailed some changes coming to the game, including new visual effects when picking cards, colored icons on the map screen, and a taller top bar to make it easier to press each icon. We also got a glimpse at a new enemy, and a pop-up in the main menu to provide you with additional information about your current run.
The team took a break over the holidays in December, so the January issue didn't have much information in it. Fortunately, the February newsletter gave us a look at the new Enchantments mechanic, giving you a way to upgrade a card, albeit with a slight penalty. The newsletter states there are "meaningful and potentially run-defining Enchantments", so we're excited to see how that will impact the game.
In March, we learned about the new Quest mechanic being added to the game. The only quest card we've seen so far is Byrdonis Egg which gives you access to a bird companion who fights alongside you.
The issue in April highlighted the affliction system which sees enemies take some of your cards and apply a negative effect to them. For example, an enemy can afflict a card like Defend with an additional effect that causes you to lose health when you play it.
That's all we know about Slay the Spire 2 release date window right now, but stay tuned as we're going to be updating this page with the latest information as soon as it's revealed. Meanwhile, we have a list of the best PC games list to see if you've missed out on incredible titles like the original Slay the Spire.