AION 2 is playable now worldwide on PC. NC (formerly NCSOFT) opened the free-to-play Unreal Engine 5 MMORPG today on Steam and NC PURPLE. If you were waiting out the Founder’s Pack window, the open door is Monday, October 5, 2026.
This is a PC-only launch. Official materials list local servers in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia (Japan), with localization in English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, and Russian. Ratings sit at ESRB T for Teen and PEGI 16+.
What opened today
The base game is free to download and play on Steam and PURPLE. Founder’s Pack owners have been inside since Wednesday, September 30, with a five-day Early Access pass ahead of this open. NC’s Early Access note put the Standard pack at $24.99, Deluxe at $49.99, and Ultimate at $99.99, each with a 30-day membership layered on the early pass. Steam still lists those three package tiers beside the free base game.
Progress from Early Access carries into the full launch window. The older Launch Scale Test was the limited tech check. Early Access was the full online suite (wardrobe and transmog, battlegrounds, marketplace, and the rest of the live stack).
What you are jumping into
AION 2 is built around freedom of movement and flight. Aerial combat and traversal are the signature pitch, with fast combat that mixes timing and positioning alongside traditional tab-targeting. NC describes a high-fantasy world about 36 times larger than the original AION, running on Unreal Engine 5 with heavy multiplayer and character-customization work.
You pick from eight classes and more than 200 customization options. The story sits about 200 years after the first conflict, after the Tower of Eternity falls and Elyos and Asmodian factions face a stronger Balaur presence. PvE runs from solo and five-player dungeons up to ten-player raids. PvP covers 1v1 and 4v4 arenas, large cross-server realm fights, and the faction Abyss returning from the original game.
How to be ready
Grab the free client on Steam or PURPLE, pick a region that matches your latency, and expect a live-service day-one patch queue. If you already paid for a Founder’s Pack, you are already mid-climb. If not, the free open is the clean start.
For other PC calendars this week, Gears of War: E-Day early access is still running on Xbox and PC ahead of tomorrow’s full unlock, and ARC Raiders has a free weekend later in October. AION 2 is the free MMO seat that opened today.