Should you play Hades 2 in early access or wait for the full game?

After what felt like a much longer wait than it really was, Hades 2 is out now in early access. PC players can dive into the roguelike sequel right now and start their war against Chronos. Not everyone is rushing to buy their copy, though. Since its release, I’ve seen a common question across social media and my own personal circles: “Should I play it now or wait for 1.0?”

It’s a great question. Personally, I rarely ever play games in early access. I’d much rather prefer to wait for a game’s full release so I can play the feature-complete version all at once. I intended to do the same with Hades 2, especially since it’s more narrative driven than your average roguelike, but I made a rare exception here. Call me weak, but the good news is that I can now answer that burning question: Should you play Hades 2 now or later? You won’t be let down either way.

Should you play early access or not?

If you’re skeptical about early access, I don’t blame you. The term generally implies that a game is incomplete in key ways, which can lead to an unfulfilling experience. This year’s surprise hit Palworld is an extreme example of that. While it hooked players right out of the gate, the early access version was fairly bare bones. That led to a major player drop-off as developer Pocketpair, Inc. looked to staff up to keep up with demand. Roguelikes tend to be especially unsatisfying in early access too. Rogue Legacy 2initially launched with a limited taste of a full run, including only four character classes. You were better off waiting for 1.0 unless you actively wanted to help shape the game.