FollowingPath of Exileupdate 3.26, Secrets of the Atlas, the ARPG’s Steam player count reached 152,850 in the last 24 hours, soaring abovePath of Exile 2’s 21,849 players.Path of Exilehad remained a bit in the shadows since the release of its successor, as the latter demanded that GGG reallocate most of its resources to deliver a decent experience for players.
The amount of energy and resources thatPoE 2’s early access launch and subsequent updates required from the developer led to several delays for the highly anticipated update 3.26, withGGG even issuing an apology toPoE 1players. At the time (January 2025), director Jonathan Rogers explained how challenging it was to take care of both games and even acknowledged some mistakes they had made, though he assured fans that the newPoEupdate and league would eventually come. Now that update 3.26 has finally been released, players have flooded the game.
Path of Exile 1’s Secrets of the Atlas updatelaunched on June 13, and according to SteamDB, it peaked at 152,850 concurrent players within 24 hours—surpassingPath of Exile 2. At the time of writing,PoE 1has 87,919 active players, whilePoE 2trails behind with only 13,161. These numbers showcase how relevantPoE 1continues to be for players, even with its successor available and in continuous development. The game’s director recently toldPC Gamerthat both games feel completely different at this point, meaning they can cater to different audiences—which may help explain the current numbers.
Path of Exile Has 87,919 Players While PoE 2 Only Has 13,161
Path of Exile 1’s highly anticipated update 3.26introduced a lot of exciting things for players, including an endgame overhaul and the new Mercenaries challenge league, featuring 40 core and 8 Ruthless challenges, along with Watcher’s Wrath armour rewards. The Atlas now features new mapping layers, pinnacle bosses, and progression tweaks, which are useful for orienting new players. The update also brought some skill balance adjustments and introduced major quality-of-life improvements.
One major addition isPath of Exile 1’s Pause system, which, as its name indicates, allows players to pause the game by pressing escape on PC or opening the menu on consoles. The game can even be paused during online sessions as long as every player opts in. While thousands of players continue diving intoPoE 1after the Secrets of the Atlas update, this is a clear demonstration that the game remains a strong contender despitePoE 2.
