- Games
- Path of Exile
Path of Exile
A free dark fantasy action RPG where up to six exiles fight monsters and plan long-term character builds.
Online co-op for up to 6 players.
- 6 online
Where to buy
Playing together
- Online co-op6 players
- Local co-opNot confirmed
- Not confirmedFriends on different platforms, such as PC and PlayStation, can play together.
- Not confirmedA friend can join or leave while you are already playing, without starting over.
- Not confirmedFriends play free with a Friend's Pass or similar.
- Steam DeckPlayableValve's own rating
About the game
You play an exile on a dark continent. You fight through a campaign, then keep running harder and harder maps for better loot. Most of the time you cut through packs of monsters, check what dropped and swap gear. Skills come from gems you place in your items, and a huge passive tree lets you shape each character your own way.
You can play alone or in an online party of up to six. Everyone explores the same areas with a character of their own, and extra party members change how many items drop and how rare they are. Each player builds a separate character, so you can mix very different styles in one party.
The learning curve is steep, so it suits a group that enjoys studying systems and trying new builds. The game is free to play, and its shop mostly sells cosmetics.
How it feels
Kind of game
You play on the same side through shared levels, matches, missions or jobs. Progress comes from combining your actions toward the same objective.
- At its heart
- Now and then
- Fear
- Calm and coziness
- Story
- Working in sync
- Building and creating
- Sessions
- Repeatable runs
- About
- Fantasy adventure, Monsters
Rated on our own feel scale. 6 sources back these ratings.
Screenshots
From the Steam store page. Open one to see it full size.
If you liked Path of Exile
You will probably enjoy these too. Each one says why.
Path of Exile 2
Why it scores 95%
What they share
- Kind of game
- Shared team objectives
- About
- Fantasy adventure and Monsters
- Core to both
- Getting better, Unlocks and progress, Fighting
- Sessions
- Repeatable runs
- Notable in both
- Exploring, Tension and danger, Planning ahead
- Co-op
- Online co-op for up to 6 players
- Early access
- 6 online
- 2 on one screen
- Crossplay
Both give your team shared objectives to work through together. Both are about a fantasy adventure and monsters that hunt you. Both reward you for getting better.
No big difference from Path of Exile.
Diablo II: Resurrected – Infernal Edition
Why it scores 92%
What they share
- Kind of game
- Shared team objectives
- About
- Fantasy adventure and Monsters
- Notable in both
- Time to hang out, Tension and danger, Planning ahead, Getting better
- Core to both
- Unlocks and progress, Fighting
- Sessions
- Repeatable runs
- Co-op
- Online co-op
- 8 online
Both give your team shared objectives to work through together. Both are easy to play while you chat. Both have upgrades that carry over.
No big difference from Path of Exile.
Diablo IV
Why it scores 92%
What they share
- Kind of game
- Shared team objectives
- About
- Fantasy adventure and Monsters
- Notable in both
- Time to hang out, Exploring, Tension and danger, Planning ahead, Getting better
- Core to both
- Unlocks and progress, Fighting
- Sessions
- Repeatable runs
- Co-op
- Online co-op
- 4 online
- 2 on one screen
- Crossplay
Both give your team shared objectives to work through together. Both are about a fantasy adventure and monsters that hunt you. Both are easy to play while you chat.
No big difference from Path of Exile.
All co-op facts
Last checked 28 October 2026. The small numbers link to the page that states each fact.
Co-op
- Fewest players online
- Not confirmed
- Local co-op
- Not confirmed
- Most players on one screen
- Not confirmed
- Split or shared screen
- Not confirmed
- Separate-device co-op
- Not confirmed
- Most players on separate devices
- Not confirmed
- Free base co-op
- Yes
The page says the game is completely free and will never be pay to win. Steam marks it Free To Play with optional in-app purchases.
- 1259101112
- Confirmed free setups
- Online party in the base game. PC, Mac, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series. Online for 2 to 6 players.
- 19101112
- Crossplay
- Not confirmed
- Crossplay between
- Not confirmed
- Friends can join mid-game
- Not confirmed
- Only one of you needs to buy it
- Not confirmed
- Voice chat by distance
- Not confirmed
Sources
16 pages
store.steampowered.comStore page, read 28 October 2026
Backs About, Fear, Calm and coziness, Building and creating, Planning ahead, Sessions, Exploring, Free base co-op, Confirmed free setups.
- About: The store text sets the game in a dark fantasy world where creatures of nightmare fill the land.
- Fear: The page lists the content descriptor Horror Scenes. The Horror tag is near the bottom of the user tags, so it adds some dread, not constant fear.
- Calm and coziness: The text calls a player hideout a quiet place to trade and craft after battle.
- Building and creating: A hideout can be filled with hundreds of decorations and items can be crafted. Nothing built stays in a shared world.
- Planning ahead: The text describes hundreds of skill combinations from gems and a very large passive skill tree.
- Sessions: After the campaign, the endgame is an Atlas of more than a hundred maps that you run again and again.
- Exploring: The text sends you to explore the continent and then an Atlas of maps.
- Free base co-op: The page says the game is completely free and will never be pay to win. Steam marks it Free To Play with optional in-app purchases.
- Confirmed free setups: The free Steam product carries the Online Co-op category. Windows and Mac are the PC builds.
store.steampowered.comStore data, read 28 October 2026
Backs Steam app ID, Online co-op, Platforms, Release status, Release date, Genres, Free base co-op.
- Steam app ID: Steam identifies Path of Exile as app 238960. Path of Exile 2 is a separate product.
- Online co-op: Categories include Co-op and Online Co-op.
- Platforms: Windows and Mac are listed. No Linux build is listed.
- Release status: Steam lists the game as available and not in early access.
- Release date: Steam shows Oct 23, 2013.
- Genres: The description calls it an online Action RPG.
- Free base co-op: Steam marks the app as free.
store.steampowered.comStore data, read 28 October 2026
Backs Steam Deck.
- Steam Deck: Valve rates the game Playable on Steam Deck.
wikidata.orgWikidata, read 28 October 2026
Backs Wikidata item, Genres, Release date, Platforms.
- Wikidata item: The item is Path of Exile, a 2013 online action role-playing game, and its Steam ID is 238960.
- Genres: P136 is action role-playing game, hack and slash and dark fantasy video game.
- Release date: P577 is 2013-10-23.
- Platforms: P400 lists Windows, macOS, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The PS5 and Xbox Series versions come from the store pages.
pathofexile.comOfficial site, read 28 October 2026
Backs Online co-op, Free base co-op.
- Online co-op: The maker says world areas are instanced for your party.
- Free base co-op: The maker says the game is completely free and will never be pay to win.
pathofexile.comOfficial site, read 28 October 2026
Backs Platforms.
- Platforms: The download page lists PC, Mac, Xbox One and PS4. The PS5 and Xbox Series versions come from the store pages.
pathofexile.comOfficial news, read 28 October 2026
Backs Working in sync.
- Working in sync: The 3.26.0 patch notes say extra party members change how many items drop and how rare they are. That shows a party shares areas and drops, not that it needs set roles.
pathofexile.comOfficial news, read 28 October 2026
Backs Release status.
- Release status: The 3.29.1 patch notes are dated 2026-07-31, so the released game is still being updated.
store.epicgames.comStore page, read 28 October 2026
Backs Most players online, Free base co-op, Confirmed free setups.
- Most players online: The listing text says to play solo or alongside up to five friends, which makes a party of six.
- Free base co-op: The listing calls it a free-to-play action RPG. Free to play on this edition. Co-op needs no purchase of the game.
- Confirmed free setups: The same free game is listed with party play of up to six.
xbox.comStore page, read 28 October 2026
Backs Online co-op, Most players online, Platforms, Free base co-op, Confirmed free setups.
- Online co-op: The feature list includes online co-op for 2 to 6 players.
- Most players online: The feature list gives online co-op as 2 to 6 players.
- Platforms: Lists Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. The page also carries text for Path of Exile 2, a separate product, which was not used.
- Free base co-op: The page is free to get and marked free to access. Free to play on this edition. Co-op needs no purchase of the game.
- Confirmed free setups: Xbox lists 2 to 6 players online for the free game.
store.playstation.comStore page, read 28 October 2026
Backs Most players online, Platforms, Free base co-op, Confirmed free setups.
- Most players online: The compatibility notice says 6 network players.
- Platforms: This is the PS4 edition, released 2019-03-26 according to the page.
- Free base co-op: The PS4 edition is free with optional in-game purchases. Its compatibility notice does not mention PlayStation Plus.
- Confirmed free setups: The free PS4 edition lists 6 network players.
store.playstation.comStore page, read 28 October 2026
Backs Most players online, Platforms, Free base co-op, Confirmed free setups.
- Most players online: The listing gives network players as 2 to 6.
- Platforms: The PS5 edition is listed separately and was released 2024-09-06 according to the page.
- Free base co-op: The PS5 edition is free with optional in-game purchases. Its listing says online multiplayer needs a PlayStation Plus membership. That is a network fee, and the PS4 listing does not say it.
- Confirmed free setups: The free PS5 edition lists 2 to 6 network players, with the PlayStation Plus condition noted under free_to_play.
pcgamer.comPress, read 28 October 2026
Backs Most players online, Fighting, Unlocks and progress, Planning ahead, Story.
- Most players online: The review infobox from 2014 lists multiplayer as up to 6, co-op. It only agrees with the store listings.
- Fighting: Tom Senior's review of 2014-01-13 says you carve through thousands of monsters in dark dungeons.
- Unlocks and progress: Says the reward is a slow feeling of progress over hundreds of hours.
- Planning ahead: Calls the large passive tree a playground for people who plan character builds.
- Story: Says quest givers hand out lore in short text boxes, and most of the time you fight and loot.
pcgamer.comPress, read 28 October 2026
Backs Sessions, Exploring, Planning ahead, Tension and danger, Getting better, Unlocks and progress, Time to hang out.
- Sessions: Fraser Brown's re-review of 2018-05-25 says many areas are randomly generated for repeat looting and that temporary leagues restart play with new rules.
- Exploring: Says many areas are randomly generated, so you can keep going for loot.
- Planning ahead: Says unusual builds are the heart of the game and that players keep inventing wilder ones.
- Tension and danger: Says the toughest bosses play more like bullet hell shooters, and describes dodging projectiles and swarms of enemies.
- Getting better: Calls the progression systems elaborate and hard to parse, and says advice for new players often conflicts.
- Unlocks and progress: Says the heart of the game is character progression, from nobody to a powerful hero.
- Time to hang out: Describes builds that need very little input, such as totem builds and builds that let you stand still.
gameinformer.comPress, read 28 October 2026
Backs Kind of game, Getting better.
- Kind of game: Kyle Hilliard's review of 2013-11-19 says a noticeboard in town lists parties looking for members and that the game makes cooperative play easy.
- Getting better: Says the game is not friendly to newcomers but rewards the time spent learning it.
windowscentral.comPress, read 28 October 2026
Backs Kind of game, Story, Time to hang out, Exploring.
- Kind of game: The Xbox One review by Paul Acevedo says the content is playable solo or with online friends, and public towns let players meet and group up.
- Story: Says the story is not the main element but gives enough reason to keep going, mostly through voiced NPC talk.
- Time to hang out: Says the Xbox One version has no in-game chat. No review found describes chat during play.
- Exploring: Calls it a Diablo-style game with more emphasis on exploring and collecting loot than on fighting.