One week into Early Access and Slay the Spire 2 is already breaking records, generating community art floods, and rolling out merch drops faster than you can build a deck. Mega Crit Games dropped their first Neowsletter of 2026 on March 13, packed with sales figures, upcoming feature plans, board game news, and a wave of limited edition collectibles. Here is everything announced and confirmed.
Slay the Spire 2 Launches on Steam Early Access on March 5, 2026
Slay the Spire 2 launched in Early Access on March 5, 2026, marking the start of what Mega Crit describes as just the beginning of a much longer journey. The March 13 Neowsletter arrives exactly one week after that launch date, serving as the team’s first major post-launch update to the community. The game is available to purchase and play now via Steam.
Slay the Spire 2 Hits 3 Million Sales and 25 Million Runs in Its First Week
The numbers speak for themselves. Within just one week of its Early Access launch, Slay the Spire 2 crossed 3,000,000 units sold and recorded over 25,000,000 runs attempted by players. Mega Crit noted that the runs figure is actually an undercount, as the team started collecting metrics slightly after launch rather than from day one.
For context, the original Slay the Spire accumulated an estimated lifetime total of around 3.6 million copies on Steam alone, making Slay the Spire 2’s first-week performance a remarkable achievement for an Early Access title from a small independent team. Peak concurrent players hit over 575,000 shortly after launch, placing it among the third most-played games on Steam at certain points during that period.
What Mega Crit’s Developers Had to Say About the Launch
Community Manager Demi and developer Casey both shared their reactions in the newsletter. Casey noted that despite throwing out his back from overworking during the launch rush, the community response kept spirits high. Demi added on behalf of the team: “We’ve been working on this for the past five years, but our journey is just beginning!” The overwhelming reception has kept morale high across the studio despite the intensity of launch week crunch.
Upcoming Features and Content Confirmed for Slay the Spire 2
Mega Crit confirmed they will not be sharing a full roadmap or specific timeline for major content updates right now. However, the following features and improvements are currently planned for upcoming updates:
| Upcoming Feature | Details |
| Badge and Scoring Revamp | Full overhaul of the badge and scoring system, plus a friends-only leaderboard filter |
| Phobia Accessibility Mode | New accessibility option for players with phobias |
| More Art and VFX | Additional visual content and effects across the game |
| Ongoing Balance Patches | Continuous balancing based on player data and community feedback |
| Steam Workshop Support | Full mod support via Steam Workshop |
| Multiplayer QOL Features | Quality of life improvements for multiplayer |
| Official Twitch Plugin Integration | Native Twitch integration for streamers |
In terms of previously confirmed content, alternate acts for Acts 2 and 3, more cards, more events, and additional content are all still on the way. The team has already used community feedback to fix several softlocks and other issues discovered during the first week of Early Access.
How to Access the Slay the Spire 2 Beta Branch on Steam
Mega Crit introduced a public beta branch on Steam for players who want to help test upcoming changes before they reach the main game. The beta branch is currently on version 0.99 as of March 13, and recent fixes already include softlock prevention such as the Breakthrough card self-HP loss issue in multiplayer, alongside ongoing bug squashes from launch week feedback.
New content and balance changes will arrive on the main branch whenever the team considers them ready, while the beta branch will receive more frequent updates in the meantime. To access the beta branch, follow these steps:
- Step 1 — Right-click on Slay the Spire 2 in your Steam Library
- Step 2 — Click Properties
- Step 3 — Navigate to Game Versions and Betas
- Step 4 — Select public-beta from the available options
Mega Crit confirmed they do not plan to commit to a strict release cadence for updates, preferring to ship changes when the team feels they are genuinely ready rather than on a fixed schedule.
Slay the Spire Board Game Downfall Expansion Kickstarter Launches March 24
One of the biggest announcements in the newsletter is the Kickstarter campaign for the Slay the Spire: The Board Game Downfall expansion, which launches on March 24, 2026, run by Contention Games.
The Downfall expansion is based on the iconic community mod for Slay the Spire 1 and now carries official backing, letting players take on the roles of some of the Spire’s most infamous bosses including Slime Boss. The campaign will also include a reprint of the base Slay the Spire: The Board Game for new backers who have not yet picked it up. Players can sign up for launch notifications directly at kickstarter.com/projects/contentiongames/sts-downfall.
Slay the Spire 2 Merch Drops: Vinyl, Plushies, and Fangamer Collection
The newsletter confirmed a wave of official merchandise launching across multiple partners:
Slay the Spire OST Vinyl (Mana Wave)
Mana Wave released a 2xLP vinyl of composer Clark Aboud’s original Slay the Spire soundtrack, featuring four exclusive psych rock versions of classic tracks and new artwork from Nimit Malavia. The records are available now in standard retail black or Mana Wave exclusive colours inspired by The Defect’s orbs.
Limited Edition Plushies (Makeship)
Makeship launched limited edition plushies of Slay the Spire’s original three characters, The Silent, The Ironclad, and The Defect, all featuring their updated Slay the Spire 2 designs. The pre-order campaign runs for a limited time only before closing permanently, so availability is strictly limited. You can find the plushies at makeship.com/shop/creator/slay-the-spire.
Fangamer Slay the Spire 2 Collection
Fangamer launches a brand new Slay the Spire 2 merchandise collection on March 17, 2026 at 10AM PDT, including a t-shirt featuring the full StS2 roster, pins of The Regent, The Necrobinder, and Osty, and a sticker set designed by fan artist Justin Yu.
You can sign up for launch notifications at fangamer.com/pages/slay-the-spire-ii
Community Highlights and Fan Art Roundup
The Neowsletter celebrated the wave of fan creativity that the launch inspired. Featured community highlights included:
- Detailed art of The Regent in various poses by @Thornclaw
- Character doodles across the StS2 roster by @sharkeesart
- Impressive in-game map sketches by u/Flying_Line
Mega Crit also announced that map drawings may become a regular segment in future Neowsletters. Additionally, the newsletter included the first ever Slay the Spire 2-themed Connections puzzle for the community to enjoy.
Next month’s fan art theme is sakura Neow. Submissions are open now and must meet the following requirements to be considered:
- Submit via fanmail@megacrit.com or the fanart channel in the official Mega Crit Discord
- Dimensions of 800x450px
- No text included
- Space left for a title
Slay the Spire 2 is available now in Early Access on Steam. With three million sales in a single week, a beta branch already live, merch dropping across multiple partners, and a board game Kickstarter launching on March 24, Mega Crit’s first week back in the Spire has set a strong tone for everything still to come.
Source: Mega Crit Official Newsletter
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