In Short
- AION 2 opens to everyone, free-to-play, on PC on October 5, 2026 at 13:00 UTC (6:30 PM IST, 9 AM EDT, 3 PM CEST).
- Pre-launch maintenance started at 05:00 UTC and is scheduled to end when servers open; the files have been available to pre-download since September 28.
- Founder’s Packs ($24.99, $49.99, $99.99) were only needed for the September 30 to October 4 advance access. You do not need one to play from tonight.
AION 2 stops being a paid early-access game tonight. NC’s sky-combat MMORPG goes free-to-play worldwide on PC at 13:00 UTC on Monday, October 5, which is 6:30 PM in India, according to the game’s Steam store page and NC’s launch maintenance notice.
If you skipped the Founder’s Pack and waited, this is the evening you can create a character on the same servers everyone else is levelling on.
Free players join the same launch as Founder’s Pack owners
For the last five days, only buyers of one of the three Founder’s Packs could play. That advance access window ran from September 30 to October 4, and it closed with an eight-hour maintenance that began at 10 PM PDT on October 4 (10:30 AM IST on October 5). When servers come back at 13:00 UTC, the game is open to anyone with a Steam account or NC’s PURPLE launcher.
The packs themselves cost $24.99, $49.99 and $99.99 on Steam. Their main value was the five-day head start, so a new player tonight gives up early levels and possibly a reserved name, not access to the game.
Early reaction is mixed but leaning positive. During advance access the Steam page showed a “Mostly Positive” rating, with 75% of about 1,900 English reviews recommending it. Expect queue times and server-select warnings in the first hours, which is normal for an MMO launch evening.
Play free while you wait
Waiting for the servers or stuck in a queue? Play something in your browser with no download:
- Stick Merge: merge weapons and clear missions, free online
- Pac-Man: the classic maze chase, ready in seconds
AION 2 is built around flight and a two-faction war
AION 2 is a sequel to NCSoft’s 2008 MMORPG, rebuilt on Unreal Engine 5. NC says the world is 36 times larger than the original game’s, and the core hook is that the sky is part of the battlefield: you play a Daeva from either the Elyos or Asmodian faction, and combat is meant to chain skills on the ground and in the air. The studio also lists more than 200 dungeons for the endgame.
The game already launched in South Korea and Taiwan, so the global version arrives with a live track record rather than as a brand-new service. Third-party server guides list regions for Europe, North America East and West, Latin America and Asia. Check the server list in the launcher before you pick, because your faction and friends are tied to the server you choose.
What to do before 6:30 PM IST
- Pre-download the client now through Steam or PURPLE if you have not already, so you are not downloading while others are logging in.
- Decide on a faction with your friends first. Elyos and Asmodians are opposite sides of the war.
- Skip paid packs unless you want the cosmetic or convenience items. The base game is free.
AION 2 is a PC game. If you only have a few minutes before servers open, a quick round of Stick Merge on Gipcus is a short way to fill the wait.
