Hades 2's technical test set to begin "shortly" and sign-ups are now open

Hades 2, the hugely anticipated follow-up to developer Supergiant Games' acclaimed 2020 roguelike dungeon crawler, is almost upon us - albeit initially as an early access release - and ahead of its arrival Supergiant is hosting a technical test, with sign-ups officially now open.

Supergiant announced a second Hades was in the works at the tail-end of 2022, this time promising a new protagonist in the form of the Princess of the Underworld, a new antagonist in the Titan of Time, and a new adventure "rooted in the Underworld of Greek myth and its deep connections to the dawn of witchcraft."

Last September brought word Supergiant would be holding a Hades 2 technical test for a limited number of players ahead of its early access release - to ensure things are running smoothly before launching to a wider audience - and the studio has now confirmed that test is set to begin "shortly", with sign-ups to get involved now live.

Hades II - Reveal Trailer

Hades 2's technical test will, according to the developer's announcement post, feature the game's first major area, alongside early-game characters, systems, and content - which is said to be "much less content than what's in store for the early access".

The studio also notes the length of the technical test will depend on how things go, but it estimates it'll last "longer than a week, shorter than a month". During this time Supergiant will invite a small number of players, fix any problems they run into, invite more players, and so on. "Once we're sufficiently confident that things are stable," it continues, "we'll wind down the technical test, then launch in early access on Steam and the Epic Games Store relatively soon after."

Hades 2's technical test will make use of Steam's Playtest functionality, and anyone hoping to get involved can register their interest by clicking the 'Request Access' button on its Steam page. You'll need to meet minimum system requirements - Windows 10 64-bit OS (or Steam Deck), a Dual Core 2.4 Ghz processor, 4GB RAM, a 2GB VRAM graphics card with DirectX 12+ support - and successful applicants will be invited to participate via an email sent from Steam.

Supergiant's original Hades was an absolutely stellar experience - and Eurogamer's game of the year in 2020 - so hopes are sky high for this one, and early access can't come soon enough.