Mega Crit has announced that Slay the Spire 2, the sequel to the 2019 deckbuilding roguelike, will launch in Steam Early Access on March 5, 2026. The release coincides with major titles including Grand Theft Auto 6, Marathon, and Pokémon Pokopia. The date follows a delay from an original 2025 plan due to team personal matters and additional development time.
Slay the Spire 2, developed by Mega Crit, marks the return of the acclaimed deckbuilding roguelike genre progenitor. The original Slay the Spire debuted in 2019 following its own Early Access phase and helped popularize the format in subsequent years.
The sequel's Early Access build arrives on Steam on March 5, 2026, a date shared with high-profile launches such as Grand Theft Auto 6, Marathon, and Pokémon Pokopia. This timing may require players interested in multiple titles to prioritize their gaming schedule.
Mega Crit revealed the date alongside an animated trailer featuring the game's class characters in action, including elements of fantasy violence. The trailer highlights gameplay where players craft unique decks, encounter bizarre creatures, and discover powerful relics.
Originally slated for Early Access in 2025, the release was postponed to March 2026. The studio attributed the delay to a mix of personal life events affecting the team—described as non-serious—and iterative improvements to meet quality standards. In their announcement, Mega Crit stated: “There’s no single dramatic reason. Some personal life stuff hit the team (everyone’s okay!), we kept saying ‘wouldn’t it be cool if…’ one too many times, and honestly, the game just needs more polish to meet our standards.” This resulted in an additional six months of development.
The announcement clarifies the delay was unrelated to broader industry postponements, such as those tied to Hollow Knight: Silksong's release date.
