A new era is on the horizon for Smite, the third-person hero-themed from HiRez Studios, with the developers hard at work putting the finishing touches on their huge sequel release: Smite 2.
Smite 2 will unquestionably be a huge shakeup for the Smite status quo, with heroes from the 2014 original making the leap into gaming’s modern era with upgraded graphics and updated MOBA gameplay—including changes to every character, class, item, and the core Conquest mode.
Focus will stay on being the “console MOBA” (a moniker the HiRez devs believe is 100 percent required in the 2020s) but Smite 2 now shapes as a chance for the devs to really overhaul things for the better.
The sequel, which will remain free to play once it hits digital shelves, is closer than originally expected too, with a major beta release just around the corner.
Smite 2 closed beta release date (and time)
Eager fans will be able to get their hands on Smite 2 gameplay from July 30, 2024, when the sequel’s first closed beta goes live. Anyone who bought the Founder’s Edition will be invited to play from this date.
This beta date has been confirmed by HiRez on Steam, where the Smite 2 page lists the July 30 date several times. While there’s no exact time for release yet, the sequel developers are expected to lock in those details in coming months. Expect an early morning drop—old Smite patches would roll out around 4am EST on update days.
Now, let’s be clear here—this is a beta release, not the full thing (more on that below). Some predictions have got that wrong already.
Follow along with our Dot timer as we count down to the beta.
This Tuesday rollout has been preluded by several testing periods for the sequel, including an alpha that ran in May and a small run of tiny beta playtests.
Official Smite 2 release window estimate
Dot Esports cannot yet confirm an exact Smite 2 release date, but it’s quite a lot easier to point to what looks like the sequel’s expected release window: HiRez boss Stewart Chisam has already said “it will be 2025… i.e. not this year.”
Considering we’re getting the 24/7 closed beta at the end of July, there’s every possibility HiRez will let Smite 2 cook for twelve months before throwing the doors open for a full release around the same time a year later. That fits into Chisam’s prediction, suggesting a July 2025 arrival wouldn’t be out of the question.
That is, of course, a huge wait—here’s a countdown to watch the whole time.
Either way, however, no one has firmly bedded in a proper release date yet. Dot will keep this article updated if anything changes between now and then.
Once Smite 2 does arrive, fans should be able to get their hands on up to 50 of the original 130-strong character roster. More will likely join in future Smite updates, though they’ll be among the only things bracing for the big jump; everything else will be left behind in the first game, developers have warned.
There are three bundles Smite players can buy before release: The Founders bundle (for $29.99), the Deluxe bundle (for $59.99), and the Ultimate package ($99.99). These mostly include badges, exclusive skins, and gems.
Update May 15, 10:17pm CT, by Isaac McIntyre: Added an expected Smite 2 release window and further details on the upcoming “24/7” closed beta.
