“The gold standard of roguelites arrives on console in its definitive form. 120fps, all patches included, day-one Game Pass. Console players waited seven months. It was absolutely worth it.”
There is a version of this review where I spend a thousand words explaining what Hades II is, how it builds on the original, what Supergiant Games' pedigree is, and why the roguelite genre is having a renaissance. You don't need that version. You need the answer to the question you actually have: is this worth playing, and is the PS5 and Xbox version good?
Yes. Unambiguously and without reservation.
Background: Why Console Players Had to Wait
Hades II launched in Early Access on PC in 2024, spent over a year receiving substantial updates that reshaped and expanded the game, and then hit its full 1.0 release on September 25, 2025 for PC, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S came later — April 14, 2026 — packaged with Patch 2, the first major post-1.0 update that further refined balance, added content, and addressed issues that emerged in the months after full release.
Console players, in other words, are getting the definitive version. Not a port rushed to market before the game was ready. The finished, best-balanced, most content-complete build of Hades II, exactly as Supergiant intended it to ship on PlayStation and Xbox.
The Story
Hades II follows Melinoë, daughter of Hades and younger sister to Zagreus — the protagonist of the first game. The Titan of Time, Chronos, has seized control of the Underworld and captured Melinoë's entire family, including Zagreus. Melinoë has been raised in secret by the witch Hecate, trained from childhood to fight, and now stands at the Crossroads preparing to descend.
Melinoë is a better protagonist than Zagreus. There. Said it. Zagreus was great — driven, warm, occasionally frustrating, and deeply well-written. Melinoë is all of those things with an additional layer of complexity that comes from her specific circumstances. She was hidden from birth. She knows the family she's trying to save mostly through stories and fragments. She has a relationship with death and the Underworld that is simultaneously more intimate and more conflicted than her brother's. Watching her navigate the tension between mission and grief, competence and fear, is consistently compelling.
The cast around her is excellent. Hecate is an extraordinary addition to the universe. Arachne, Scylla, and Narcissus are each used in ways that feel distinctly Supergiant — mythologically adjacent without being beholden to tradition. The fully-voiced script is enormous and the writing is consistently sharp.
The Loop
For the uninitiated: Hades II is a roguelite action game where you run through procedurally assembled gauntlets, die, and try again with a growing arsenal of permanent upgrades and Olympian blessings. That loop was already perfect in the first game. Here it's deeper, wider, and more rewarding — a new cauldron system for permanent unlocks, an Arcana card system for run-building, a hub world that meaningfully evolves as you progress, and a boss roster that PC players have been arguing about for months.
The Hexes — powerful charged abilities — add another layer of build expression. The weapon roster is broader than the original, and each handles differently enough that mastering them all is a meaningful accomplishment.
PS5 & Xbox: The Best Way to Play
On PS5, the game is a visual revelation on a big screen. The inky, hand-painted art direction pops in a way the Switch 2 handheld simply can't replicate. The game targets 120fps and delivers it without compromise — no performance mode vs graphics mode toggle needed. DualSense haptics add satisfying weight to every weapon swing.
Xbox players get arguably the best value in gaming right now: Hades II is day-one on Xbox Game Pass, supports Xbox Play Anywhere (saves sync between console and PC), and runs at 120fps on Series X. If you have a subscription, download it right now.
One caveat: there is no cross-save between PS5/Xbox and Switch or PC versions. If you put hundreds of hours in on Switch 2, you're starting fresh on PS5. That stings.
The Verdict
RPGSite gave it 10/10. GameSpew gave it 5/5. Finger Guns called it "worthy of its place amongst the immortals." This is one of the finest games of the generation, and for PS5 and Xbox players experiencing it for the first time, it is as good as games get.
Play it.
Hades II — 9.5 / 10
The Good: Melinoë is a better protagonist than Zagreus, and that's high praise · 120fps on PS5 and Xbox · Deeper mechanical systems than the original with no bloat · Day-one Game Pass — exceptional value · Patch 2 included, meaning console players get the best-balanced build
The Not So Good: No cross-save between PS5/Xbox and Switch/PC versions · The roguelite grind is inherent — if you bounced off Hades 1, Hades 2 won't convert you
Reviewed on PS5. Purchased copy.
