The release of Path of Exile’s long-awaited 3.26 update, Secrets of the Atlas, has triggered a massive player surge, overtaking even Path of Exile 2. According to SteamDB, PoE 1 hit a peak of 179,556 concurrent players just 24 hours after launch, while PoE 2 trailed far behind with 21,849.
Secrets of the Atlas Brings Players Back
Launched on June 13, Update 3.26 in PoE introduced the Mercenaries League, featuring 40 core and 8 Ruthless challenges, endgame progression reworks, new pinnacle bosses, Watcher’s Wrath armor sets, and mapping system upgrades. It also came with several quality-of-life improvements, including the long-awaited Pause feature — a first in the series. This allows players to pause even during online sessions, provided all party members agree.
The update had been delayed for months due to the heavy demands of Path of Exile 2’s early access, prompting GGG to publicly apologize in January 2025. Game director Jonathan Rogers admitted that managing both games simultaneously proved more difficult than expected but reassured fans that PoE 1 was still a major priority.
PoE 1 Still Has the Edge Over Its Successor
Despite the hype surrounding Path of Exile 2, the original game currently boasts over ~100,000 active players, compared to just ~15,000 in PoE 2 at the time of writing. Rogers recently told PC Gamer that both titles now feel like entirely different experiences, allowing them to appeal to distinct audiences — and that strategy seems to be paying off.
Why Players Are Returning to PoE 1
Despite the hype around Path of Exile 2, thousands of players are flocking back to the original game. With the release of Update 3.26 and the Secrets of the Atlas league, PoE 1 is seeing a huge resurgence — and there are some very good reasons for that:
- Massive content drop with Secrets of the Atlas
- Mercenaries League with new challenges
- Endgame and mapping system overhauls
- Long-requested Pause functionality
- Familiar gameplay with ongoing support
With the momentum from 3.26, Path of Exile 1 proves it still has plenty of fight left — even with its sequel in full swing.