Slay the Spire 2 Early Access Preview

3 days ago 5

Published Mar 10, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT

Ethan Krieger (He/Him) is an editor at DualShockers that got started in the writing industry by covering professional basketball for a sports network. Despite being a diehard sports fan (mainly formula one, basketball, American football, and golf), video games have always been his #1 interest.

I'm positive I'm not alone when I say that the original Slay the Spire is the reason I'm into the deckbuilding genre today. It was my gateway into other titles I now love, like the Monster Train franchise, Hunter's Moon, Balatro, and several others in between. In fact, after spending hundreds of hours with the OG title, my only complaint about Slay the Spire was simply that I wanted more.

It has been one of the longest waits of my life from the announcement of Slay the Spire 2 to the start of the Early Access period last week, and if you're someone that's been waiting alongside me, please exhale. We did it, everyone. StS2 is here!

And... holy cow. At least for me so far, that wait has proven to be worth it and then some. I know it's still just Early Access, but I am absolutely positive that when 2026 comes to a close, Slay the Spire 2 will be firmly planted in my Game of the Year conversation. Let's talk about everything it's doing right so far. Which is... actually everything.

If It Ain't Broke, Just Give Us More

If you haven't picked up on it by now:

Spoiler Alert: I do not have anything bad to say about this game.

The original Slay the Spire was actually as close to a perfect game, in my opinion, as there has ever existed. I know this is pretty insane praise, but I truly find the game that good. It's endlessly rewarding and engaging, the perfect dose of RNG, and the definition of "Okay, one more run." Even after hundreds of hours with it, I could still play at least a thousand more and not complain.

Deckbuilder fans know this, and if you aren't part of the genre fandom yet, you really ought to let StS get you on board. And yet, after spending all my free time over the last several days experimenting with Slay the Spire 2, it is somehow, unfathomably... better. At least it definitely seems to be so far.

If you're someone that (for some reason) was expecting more of a drastic iteration of the first game with the sequel, I suppose you might be disappointed. In about 90% of form and function on a base level, Slay the Spire 2 is kind of the "same" game. But, as you can tell by now, I personally think that was the correct move, and was exactly what I wanted from this experience anyway. I know I won't be alone in that sentiment, either.

We're still just climbing the spire, choosing diverging routes on a map based on encounter preferences, building decks, hoarding gold and relics, and trying to survive three main acts and boss fights to eventually "win" before learning the truth of what's really going on. It's all the same gameplay loop. It is, however, refined and improved upon in just about every single regard.

The "Unknown" encounter spaces are laugh-out-loud funny at times now, and you can tell the game's writing in general has taken a step forward. The character and enemy models and animations are more pronounced and fun. The added and reshuffled collection of cards to build your decks with make things much more interesting for vets that have played the OG game to death. The music and locations are familiar yet refreshingly switched up.

I know it's still just Early Access, but I am absolutely positive that when 2026 comes to a close, Slay the Spire 2 will be firmly planted in my Game of the Year conversation.

There are also just tiny quality of life tweaks, which are so granular that you might not even notice them, yet you'll benefit from them regardless. Things like the game auto-discarding if you play something that forces you to remove a card from your current hand and there's only one option left anyway. The OG game would still make you select the discard, while 2 just does it for you. Thank you.

Slay the Spire 2 really feels like Slay the Spire 1, just kind of dialed up to about an 11 or 12 if it was already at a 10. Imagine everything you loved about the game prior, and then imagine you're just going to love it even more now. That's what we have on our hands here.

Still Tweaked Enough to Feel Fresh and Fun

And yet, despite how similar the game still feels, it is still tweaked in several meaningful ways. One huge change is the addition of multiplayer, which we'll get into later. The other is the new roster of playable characters, which features a few returning favorites; The Ironclad, The Silent, and The Defect, as well as newcomers, The Necrobinder and The Regent. Let me tell you, even if your main from the OG game is still here, you need to give the new kids on the block a chance.

The Necrobinder is my new main, which feels insane since I used to be so loyal to The Silent before. This character has a new status effect called Doom, which stacks on an enemy as you proc it, never decreases, and kills the enemy at the end of their turn once your proc amount is higher than their remaining HP. It's kind of like reverse Poison (it'll make sense when you play it), and it is a blast. Combine this with Osty, the summonable severed hand that follows Necrobinder around and can tank hits for you, and this character is insane.

Imagine everything you loved about the game already, and then imagine you're just going to love it even more now. That's what we have on our hands here.

The Regent is a hilariously nonchalant and seemingly bored alien ruler, complete with minions carrying around his sci-fi throne. He's a bit of a glass cannon, but comes complete with a summonable, retainable sword that floats around him and can be buffed, inflicting wicked damage. His cards also work on a star system in addition to energy, which is a lot to learn at first, but very cool once you get the gist. I love playing as him, and also how well his personality translates through his character model's animations and card art alike.

In addition to Doom, there are some other new mechanics. If a card is marked "Sly," it can be played for free if you discard it. Sneaky! There are other examples like this too, and all are interesting and rewarding to come to grips with. I loved the feeling of discovery and learning in the first game, and it's still alive and well once again even if you're a Slay the Spire pro.

New Ancients, like Neow the Whale from the first game (who returns here too) greet you at the start of each new act to gift you a relic, which was specific powers/uses tied into the Ancient themselves. For example, Vakuu the Demon will tempt you with chaotic relics that can win you a run, but that also carry inherent risks too, since you're basically making a deal with the devil. All of the Ancients have unique dialogue with each character, and you'll actually talk back to them as well. Their artwork is incredible, and adds another level of sheen and charm to the game overall.

Quest cards are new, which task you with carrying an unusable card in your deck long enough with the promise of a reward later. There's a timeline full of epochs you'll see at the end of each run, which serve as your new means to unlock new relics, potions, characters, cards, and even brand-new map areas (which is a big deal).

Boss, standard enemy, and elite designs are all 100% new in comparison to the old game, and truly, every encounter feels awesome. In fact, I don't miss any of the original enemies, which is a testament to how good all the new stuff really is. Main act bosses specifically are all ramped way up in terms of both mechanical creativity and overall art design, like a giant crab who takes up the entire background of the frame as you fight its two claws jutting out from either side of your monitor.

Really, when you start to write it all out, there actually is a lot more that's new here than meets the eye. Developers Mega Crit have threaded the needle perfectly of crafting something familiar yet fresh in one of the most impressive ways I've ever experienced.

Magnificent Multiplayer Madness

Multiplayer was something I'd always wondered about coming to a Slay the Spire sequel, since the tabletop game that came out between video game releases was for up to four players. I also didn't know how well it would translate to the digital version regardless. Silly me. It's amazing, because of course it's amazing. I've only done a couple of multiplayer runs with my buddies (one embarrassing defeat and one victory), but I am hyped for more.

If you're wondering how it works, it does have some quirks and differences. All players must agree on a map routing, clicking on map icons to essentially cast your votes (you can also literally draw on the map, which is hilarious while also extremely useful). Once in battle, everyone plays cards at the same time, ends their turn, then takes the same attack damage/debuffs from the current enemy in unison.

And it just... works. Multiplayer is easy to understand, but also the perfect symphony of chaos, hilarity, and genuinely intense moments. All enemies hit for the same damage compared to solo, but their HP scales depending on your total number of players between two and four, which ensures the game stays balanced no matter how many co-op partners are playing at once.

You can heal your teammates at rest sites if your HP is in good shape. You'll literally play Rock, Paper, Scissors if multiple people want the same relic from a treasure chest. You'll completely throw a run or two, but learn from your mistakes, and also learn how to best strategize alongside multiple other players and their own specific cards and characters.

Developers Mega Crit have threaded the needle perfectly of crafting something familiar yet fresh in one of the most impressive ways I've ever experienced.

There are also new, multiplayer-specific cards that enter the fray in this mode, like The Necrobinder having a power that summons her trusty Osty companion alongside every human player. Potions can be played on teammates. You can give everyone extra energy if the cards are there for it. It's still, again, very much the same game, but feels dramatically different in practice at times too.

All of this combined makes multiplayer a genuine joy, and I can't wait to experience more of it with my friends. Oh, and you will need friends, because there's no random matchmaking or anything like that at this time. Regardless, if you can get a group together, Slay the Spire 2 multiplayer could easily become one of your squad's go-to games, which isn't something I'd expected a week ago.

Somehow Should Get Even Better?

We don't give scores to games in Early Access here, but I think it's no secret from all of the above that I am feeling ridiculously positive about Slay the Spire 2. In fact, if this game skipped Early Access entirely, and you just told me this was the 1.0 release, I'd have precisely zero complaints.

And yet, it is in Early Access, and therefore will, more than likely, somehow get even better. To be honest, I don't even know what that looks like from here. Maybe it's just additional cards, enemies, maps, relics, or perhaps characters. Maybe it's refining the balance a bit here and there, though I don't have any complaints in that regard either. Surely, it will at least be replacing some of the placeholder art on some of the epoch cards, even though they're perfectly endearing as is.

Whatever Early Access leads to, I'm here for it, and I'd consider trusting Mega Crit with my life at this point to deliver the goods on whatever comes along with a full 1.0 release someday.

If this game skipped Early Access entirely, and you just told me this was the 1.0 release, I'd have precisely zero complaints.

Until then, well, I'm good. I have dozens, if not hundreds of hours to continue pouring into Slay the Spire 2, and I am planning on enjoying every single second of it.

If you're a gamer like me that typically prefers to wait for a 1.0 release instead of jumping into Early Access, there's no need to delay in this case. Slay the Spire 2 is here, and it's ready for you now.