Hades II

Hades II is the rare action-roguelike that reaches almost every device you own and rewards portable players in particular. The catch worth knowing before you commit a platform: the cross-save corridor only opens for Nintendo. Steam Deck to Switch 2 in your travel bag is a single save file you can pick up on either side. Steam Deck to PS5 in the living room is two separate save profiles that will never speak to each other.

Game overview

Hades II is a fast-paced action-roguelike where you fight your way out of the Underworld in 30-to-60 minute runs. It builds on the systems that made the first Hades a runaway hit — tight melee combat, run-modifying boons from the Greek pantheon, a story that unfolds across many failed attempts — and adds new weapons, new gods, a witchcraft system, and a second overworld to fight through.

Supergiant Games shipped the full 1.0 release on 25 September 2025 after a 16-month Early Access period that started in May 2024. The page you are reading reflects the released game, not Early Access.

Where you can play it

Hades II shipped its full release simultaneously on PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2 on 25 September 2025. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S followed almost seven months later, on 14 April 2026.

The Switch 2 build is the standout: 120 fps at 1080p in TV mode, 60 fps in handheld, and one of the launch-window Switch 2 titles Nintendo used to demonstrate the hardware. The original Switch version sits at 60 fps and 720p and reached parity in content with the Switch 2 build at launch.

On Steam Deck, Hades II is Steam Deck Verified and runs at 90 fps on the OLED model, 60 fps on the LCD base model. Apple Silicon Mac players get a native build via Steam, added in October 2024. PS5 ships with DualSense haptic feedback and a 120 fps mode. Xbox Series X and Series S both hit 120 fps and the game is on Game Pass from day one, with Play Anywhere cross-progression for anyone who also plays on Windows.

No mobile release. Not on GOG as of June 2026.

Cross-saves and keeping your progress

The cross-save picture is asymmetric, and the asymmetry matters before you choose where to buy the game.

What syncs:

• Steam and Epic Games Store sync between each other for PC cloud saves.
• Steam or Epic can be linked to Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 through the Cross-Saves menu inside the Switch version. Authenticate once with Steam or Epic credentials and the Switch build pulls your PC save. There is no Supergiant account or third-party service — the cross-save is direct between your storefront account and the Switch.
• Xbox Play Anywhere syncs the Windows PC version with the Xbox Series X|S version on a single Microsoft purchase.

What does not sync:

• PlayStation 5 is isolated. No cross-save with PC, Switch, or any other platform.
• Standalone Xbox purchases do not sync with Steam or Epic. The only Xbox cross-save path is Play Anywhere with the Windows PC build, not Steam.
• No three-way sync between Steam, Xbox standalone, and Nintendo.

Supergiant’s official statement: “Due to technical limitations, cross-saves with other versions of the game are not available” for the PlayStation and standalone Xbox builds. The same restriction applied to Hades 1, so this is a Supergiant pattern, not a Hades II bug.

The practical read for portable players: if travel-and-home matters, pair Steam (or Steam Deck) with a Nintendo Switch 2. That single corridor covers handheld PC, dedicated handheld, and TV play on one save profile. If your home console is a PS5, accept that PS5 is a separate playthrough.

Features that matter on the move

• Run length of 30 to 60 minutes, similar to Hades 1. Long enough for a flight leg, short enough for a coffee stop. Runs end cleanly with no autosave-mid-decision risk.
• Controller-first design. Plays well with Xbox, DualSense, 8BitDo Pro 2, or any standard pad. Switch and Switch 2 handheld with Joy-Con is also fine.
• Suspend-resume tolerant on every handheld so far: Steam Deck sleep, Switch sleep, ROG Ally sleep all behave correctly. A dropped session costs one run at worst.
• Battery profile on Steam Deck: around 10-14 W at 60 fps on LCD, 12-16 W at 90 fps on OLED. Mid-range draw, not a battery-killer.

Recommended setup

For most players, one platform plus a controller is the right answer. If you carry both a Steam Deck and a Switch 2, link them via the Switch Cross-Saves menu and you get the one save file across every device you own. That is the pairing this guide recommends as the smoothest portable-plus-home story today.

Any standard controller works on PC and docked Steam Deck. The 8BitDo Pro 2 pairs with both Switch and Switch 2 in addition to PC, which is useful if you want one pad to do everything. PS5 and Xbox players get pad-in-the-box and DualSense haptics or Series X|S 120 fps as a bonus.

See our controllers guide for the full multi-device controller picks, the cross-saves cornerstone for how save-sync works across the major platforms, and the Steam Deck vs Switch 2 cornerstone for which device fits which travel profile.

Verdict

The best action-roguelike on portable hardware in 2026, with one important caveat: PlayStation owners are locked into PS5 as a standalone experience, and standalone Xbox owners are similarly isolated. If you want one save file that follows you from Steam Deck to Switch 2 to your home PC, that pairing exists and works well. Pick the corridor first, then pick the platform.