Grinding Gear Games is running four Path of Exile 2 qualifying races, scheduled for August 6, 13, 20, and 27, 2026, at 11:00 PM Paris time. The first player to defeat Tavakai in Act Four wins, for each of these qualifying races, a trip to Auckland for the November ExileCon, on-site accommodation, an Ultra VIP ticket, a spot in the on-stage finale, and the unique helmet Demigod’s Virtue. These qualifying races are played in Solo Self-Found, on a fixed zone layout identical for all participants, and each death immobilizes the character for two and a half minutes.
The game will also be at gamescom, from August 26 to 30, with an exclusive demo reserved for the show. On upcoming content, however, Grinding Gear Games has made no official announcement.
Four Races in August, With a Trip to Auckland at Stake
Grinding Gear Games (GGG) has announced four qualifying races for Path of Exile 2. The announcement comes from Natalia_GGG, on June 26, 2026, on the game’s official forum. These races determine the players who will compete in the Path of Exile 2 ExileCon finale (the convention organized by the studio, where the game’s big announcements are made), on the main stage, in November 2026 in Auckland.
Four dates have been set: August 6, 13, 20, and 27, 2026. Each race starts at 11:00 PM Paris time, or 2:00 PM PDT. The first one already took place on August 6. The second is played on August 13.
The stakes are high for each winner. On the table: flights to Auckland, on-site accommodation for the ExileCon weekend, a spot in the Path of Exile 2 finale, an Ultra VIP ticket, and the unique helmet Demigod’s Virtue.
All four races are streamed live on twitch.tv/pathofexile, commentated by ZiggyD and RaizQT. Co-streaming is allowed (the right to rebroadcast the race on your own channel while commentating it). For the original Path of Exile’s qualifications, GGG states that details will be shared later.
| Race | Date | Time (Paris) |
|---|---|---|
| Course 1 | August 6, 2026 (already held) | 11:00 PM |
| Course 2 | August 13, 2026 | 11:00 PM |
| Course 3 | August 20, 2026 | 11:00 PM |
| Course 4 | August 27, 2026 | 11:00 PM |
Kill Tavakai First, With a 2-Minute-30 Penalty for Every Death
The rule is simple to understand. Each race has a single objective: being the first to defeat Tavakai, a boss from Act Four. The first player to take it down wins their qualification for ExileCon.
GGG applies the same framework to every participant. These qualifying races are played in Solo Self-Found (a mode where you play alone, with no trading with other players: everything must be found by yourself), on the Runes of Aldur league, with a fixed layout (the zones are generated identically for everyone, so no one is favored by randomness). This is not a Hardcore race (the mode where death is permanent and the character is lost). Dying doesn’t eliminate the player, but locks their character in place for two and a half minutes, with no way to move.
To take part, head to the character selection screen. A « Join » button lets you enter the ongoing race, then create a dedicated character. Once in-game, the character stays immobile until the official start. GGG recommends logging in ahead of time, since the starting gun goes off at the same time for every player, with no way to stagger it.
One point deserves to be flagged for console players. GGG’s two official announcements don’t tell the same story. The message posted on Steam on June 25, 2026, at 11:39 PM states that the qualifications are PC-only. The message posted on the game’s official forum, the next day at 1:31 AM, claims the opposite: that they’re open to consoles and PC alike, with the ExileCon finale being played on PC only. The forum message is the more recent of the two, but nothing confirms which of the two versions takes precedence. Console players would do well to check directly with the studio before counting on their participation.
gamescom Is Approaching, and GGG Still Hasn’t Said What’s Next
On July 3, 2026, Natalia_GGG posted a message on the official forum, titled « Path of Exile 2 at gamescom 2026 ». The game will be back in Cologne. A special demo, playable only on-site, a photo backdrop, exclusive merchandise. GGG promises more details closer to the event. Nothing since.
gamescom runs from August 26 to 30 in Cologne, Germany. Barely two weeks away. And on the official announcements forum, the latest patches mentioned are versions 0.5.3 and 0.5.4. Not a single line about a 0.5.5 patch, despite what many sites are reporting: an event league (a short game season, with its own rules, running alongside the main game), reworked classes, precise dates. None of this information comes from any official GGG communication to date.
The studio is dropping hints elsewhere, little by little. Some details about version 1.0, expected after the November ExileCon in Auckland, have already leaked through channels other than the forum. But for gamescom, it’s radio silence. A demo on-site, and for everything else, we wait.
On one side, a qualifications calendar set down to the hour, with the second race on August 13. On the other, no announcement about upcoming content, just two weeks before a show where thousands of players will walk past the booth. The contrast is right there, plain, needing no further comment.
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