Guide

Path of Exile Update 3.26 Brings Players Back in Massive Numbers

2025.07.16

Path of Exile has just reminded everyone why it's still one of the most beloved ARPGs out there. With the launch of update 3.26 and the new Secrets of the Atlas league, the game pulled in over 152,000 players on Steam in just 24 hours. It's a massive return, and interestingly, it's even more than the current player count for Path of Exile 2.

What's surprising isn't that PoE 1 is doing well again, but just how quickly the community rallied behind it after the update. The new season was delayed a bit earlier this year, mostly because a lot of development focus went into PoE 2's early access and its follow-up patches. At the time, GGG was open about the challenges of running both games at once, even apologizing for the delay. But now, the update is here, and players are clearly happy to be back.

The Secrets of the Atlas league introduced a lot of fresh content: a reworked endgame, new mapping layers, pinnacle bosses, and a pretty engaging challenge league called Mercenaries. It has 40 core challenges, plus 8 more for the fans of Ruthless mode. Rewards like the Watcher's Wrath armor sets look great, and overall the league feels great and fast-paced.

One of the most talked-about additions is the new pause feature. It might sound simple, but for a game like PoE, being able to pause, especially during online play if everyone agrees, is a big quality-of-life improvement. It's just one of several changes that make the experience smoother, especially for people jumping back in or trying the game for the first time.

At the moment, Path of Exile 1 has almost 88,000 active players, while PoE 2 sits at around 13,000. But it doesn't really feel like a competition between the two. The way GGG has approached development, the games are clearly meant to coexist. They feel different. PoE 2 is shaping up to be its own thing, with a newer feel, slower pace, and a fresh design philosophy. PoE 1, on the other hand, is still the go-to for fast-paced, deep build-crafting and massive seasonal content.

And honestly, it's cool to see both games finding their own place. Some players prefer the legacy systems and speed of PoE 1, while others are enjoying the new direction PoE 2 is taking. There's room for both, and the player numbers reflect that people are excited to engage with the version that fits their style best.

In short, update 3.26 has been a win for Path of Exile. It brought players back in huge numbers, delivered meaningful content, and showed that even after all these years, the original game still has a lot left to give. The good old refreshing PoE 1 experience—are you ready?

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