Slay the Spire 2 Hits Steam Top 20
Slay the Spire 2 became the 20th most-played game in Steam history with a massive surge in concurrent players. The sequel to the beloved roguelike deckbuilder joins an elite group of titles for peak player count, reflecting explosive popularity in the indie gaming scene.
Developer Mega Crit launched *Slay the Spire 2* into Steam Early Access on March 5, 2026. The studio, also behind the original game, opted to build the sequel using the Godot engine, a switch made after changes to the Unity engine's licensing. The decision to create a sequel was famously decided by a coin flip. The original *Slay the Spire*, first released in early access in 2017, is widely credited with popularizing the roguelike deck-builder genre. Its success created a wave of similar titles, establishing a dedicated fanbase for the strategic card-based combat. The sequel was in development for five years before its early access debut. A major new feature in the sequel is a four-player cooperative mode, a first for the series. In this mode, players navigate the map together but manage their own health and decks, introducing multiplayer-specific cards and synergies. The game launched with five playable characters, including three returning heroes—the Ironclad, the Silent, and the Defect—and two new additions: the Necrobinder and the Regent. The early access version is said to contain more content than the full version of the original game. The sequel's launch was unexpectedly massive, peaking at over 430,000 concurrent players on Steam. This far surpassed the launch day figures for Bungie's new shooter, *Marathon*, which saw a peak of 88,337 concurrent players on the same day. Mega Crit co-founder Casey Yano expressed surprise at the sequel's immense popularity. Mega Crit has stated that the early access period will be used to add more content, including new cards, enemies, and events, while balancing the existing gameplay based on player feedback. A full 1.0 release is currently estimated for 2027, which is when console versions for PS5, Xbox, and Switch 2 are expected.
