Hades 2 Technical Test: How to sign up, early content details, more

The Hades 2 Technical Test is right around the corner. From how to sign up and play early to a look at the new content on offer, here’s everything you need to know.

A year and a half on from its reveal, Hades 2 is almost upon us. Well, sort of. No different from the first game’s rollout, Hades 2 is set to go through an early access period, ironing out all the bugs, drip-feeding new features along the way, and making it the very best experience possible before a full release on all platforms.

Even ahead of this early access period, however, devs at Supergiant Games have locked in the very first playable build of the game. A Hades 2 Technical Test is set to kick things off once and for all, offering fans an early glimpse at the highly anticipated sequel.

So if you’re looking to get in on the ground floor and play as early as possible, here’s everything you need to know about the Hades 2 Technical Test.

When is the Hades 2 Technical Test?

No concrete start date for the Hades 2 Technical Test has been announced just yet, though Supergiant confirmed it will “begin shortly.” Obviously, that could mean anything from tomorrow to next month. We’ll just have to wait and see on a specific start date.

As for how long the Technical Test may run, devs clarified it will be “longer than a week” though “shorter than a month.” In essence, specifics are still up in the air and may change depending on any issues that crop up during the test itself.

However, the overall goal is for the Technical Test to lead right into the full Early Access period, and given that has a Q2 2024 release penciled in, Hades fans won’t be left without access for all too long.

How to sign up for the Hades 2 Technical Test

Signing up for the Hades 2 Technical Test is simply a matter of navigating to the Hades 2 game listing on Steam and clicking the ‘Request Access’ button. Now it’s worth bearing in mind this simple process doesn’t guarantee everyone a spot in the Technical Test.

By clicking Request Access, you’re merely joining a list of players “to be considered for participation.” Not everyone will get in, merely a “subset of players” seemingly chosen at random.

The idea is for Supergiant to start small, providing access to an initial batch of Hades fans. From there, it will “grow over time. So, even if you aren’t invited to the Technical Test right away, you may still be invited later.”

Currently, the Hades 2 Technical Test is limited just to PC through Steam. This is identical to the Early Access period to follow. So gamers on consoles or handheld devices will be waiting quite a while for the final product.

What to expect in the Hades 2 Technical Test

As the first playable build of Hades 2, fans can expect to see the opening chunk of the game, though far from feature complete. As explained by Supergiant, “the Technical Test contains much less content than what’s in store for the Early Access launch.”

All up, it includes just the first area of the game along with a few new characters to interact with. After you clear the first region’s boss, the Technical Test ends and puts you back at the beginning. So you won’t be grinding through full runs, perfecting builds, and really getting into the nitty gritty just yet. After all, the goal of this initial build is to test to technical side of the experience on Steam, as the name implies.

Once any early bugs are squashed, server issues resolved, and unexpected issues all ironed out, devs are set to “wind down the Technical Test,” and from there, the Early Access launch will follow “relatively soon after.”

We’re conducting the Hades II Technical Test prior to our Early Access launch to help us find and solve any technical issues we might have missed thus far, to ensure anyone who tries Hades II in Early Access can have a smooth play experience from the start. The Technical Test contains much less content than what’s in store for the Early Access launch and may be available only to a relatively small subset of players who express interest in participating.”