Hades II 1.0 hits Sept 25 with Switch 2 boost — here’s what actually matters

Hades II finally goes 1.0 – and Supergiant didn’t rush it

This caught my attention because Supergiant Games is one of the few studios that treats early access like a promise, not a pre-order. After more than a year of live balancing and story drops, Hades II hits version 1.0 on September 25, 2025 at 18:00 Paris time (that’s 5pm UK, 12pm ET, 9am PT), launching digitally on PC (Steam/Epic), Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. PlayStation and Xbox versions will follow “a few months later,” and a physical Switch edition is slated for November 20. If you’ve been grinding runs since May 2024, your early access copy simply becomes the full game that day.

Key Takeaways

• Day-one platforms are PC, Switch, and Switch 2 at 18:00 Paris time; PlayStation and Xbox come later.
• Cross-save means your progress travels between PC and Nintendo consoles. No multiplayer, as expected.
• Switch 2 touts 120fps in TV mode and 60fps handheld; OG Switch targets 60fps docked.
• Timed console exclusivity for Nintendo means PS/Xbox players must wait despite the original’s multi-platform success.

Breaking down the announcement: the good, the odd, and the practical

The timing is precise for once: 1.0 lands at 18:00 in Paris. That clarity is nice in a world where “midnight local” release guesses still cause launch-day chaos. If you played early access on PC, you’re not buying anything again – just expect a chunky update, likely with the final story beats and polish passes the team’s been hinting at since “The Unseen Update” wrapped the big feature work this summer.

On Nintendo, Hades II is a timed console exclusive across both Switch generations. That’s a savvy move for a game that lives or dies by “one more run” portability, but it’s a tough pill for the PlayStation/Xbox crowd who embraced the first Hades in droves. Supergiant’s small-team cadence makes staggered launches understandable. Still, when the original became a genre touchstone on basically every platform, locking the sequel to Nintendo at launch feels like a business call, not a player-first one.

Cross-save is the real win. Roguelikes are habit games; you bounce between PC at a desk and a handheld on a sofa. Seamless saves mean you can grind resources on a commute and tackle a serious boss push at home without losing progress. If you’re planning to hop platforms on day one, set up the account links ahead of release to avoid save-sync jitters.

About that 120fps on Switch 2

Supergiant says Switch 2 targets 120fps in TV mode (on compatible 1080p displays) and 60fps in handheld. The original Switch is aiming for 60fps docked. A silky frame rate matters in Hades: dashes, i-frames, hitstop, and visual readability all benefit. But let’s calibrate expectations. Not every TV handles 120Hz cleanly at 1080p, and art-heavy scenes with dense effects can still dip on any hardware. If Switch 2 really holds 120fps during late-biome chaos – projectiles, traps, screen-filling boons — that’s impressive. If it doesn’t, 60fps with tight input latency is the baseline that matters, and Supergiant’s track record says they prioritize feel over raw numbers.

Either way, the Switch 2 uplift is a nice carrot for Nintendo’s new hardware owners without leaving the OG Switch behind. It’s the right call for a roguelike where consistency beats spectacle.

The sequel’s shape: familiar rhythm, sharper edges

Hades II sticks to the “fast, reactive combat plus evolving narrative” formula, but with Melinoë — Princess of the Underworld — taking swings at the Titan Chronos. The big tweak you’ll feel early is the Magick bar, which adds an extra layer to decision-making: do you burn Magick for crowd control or save it for a boss burst window? Layer that with the multiple-path biome structure and it becomes a richer sandbox for the community to break, speedrun, and argue about endlessly.

Early access did the heavy lifting here. The cadence of balance patches and new content over the past year gave Supergiant time to sand down rough edges — exactly what made the first Hades transform from “great roguelike” to “instant classic.” If you bounced off early access because you wanted the complete arc, 1.0 is the moment: story threads should resolve, boons should be clearer in purpose, and the meta should feel intentional rather than experimental.

Launch-day advice for players

• PC early access owners: budget time for a substantial download. Back up saves and disable mods before updating.
• Nintendo buyers: the eShop listing should go live at 18:00 Paris time (check your local equivalent). Physical collectors can wait for the November 20 Switch cartridge.
• Cross-save planners: link accounts before your first 1.0 run to avoid overwriting progress. Test a small run to confirm sync.
• Performance hunters: on Switch 2, verify your TV’s 120Hz support at 1080p; if it’s flaky, lock to 60fps and enjoy the stability.

And for PlayStation/Xbox folks: as annoying as the wait is, Supergiant’s ports are usually worth it. The first Hades arrived late on some platforms but felt native once it did.

TL;DR

Hades II leaves early access on September 25 at 18:00 Paris time, hitting PC and Nintendo first with cross-save in tow and a performance bump on Switch 2. The exclusivity window stings, but the polish, portability, and save flexibility look like real wins for anyone ready to dive back into the Underworld.