Path of Exile 3.28 Expansion Delayed: GGG's Updated Timeline and What It Means for PoE 1

Grinding Gear Games has officially pushed back the Path of Exile 3.28 expansion, confirming in a forum post on February 10, 2026, that the next league launch will arrive later than the community expected. For a game that has maintained one of the most consistent content schedules in the ARPG genre, any delay is worth paying attention to.

The 3.28 expansion is the next major league for Path of Exile 1 — the original game that continues to exist alongside Path of Exile 2, which entered early access in late 2024. If you’re looking to make the most of the current league while waiting for 3.28, working with an experienced PoE coach from Eloking can help you push into endgame content you haven’t tackled yet.

Here’s everything confirmed about the delay, why GGG made this call, and what the updated timeline looks like for Path of Exile players heading into the second half of 2026.

What GGG Confirmed About the 3.28 Delay

The official forum post from GGG community director Belakay laid out the situation directly: the 3.28 expansion needs more development time than the standard 13-week cycle allows. While GGG didn’t specify an exact new launch date, the post confirmed the expansion is being pushed from its expected late February or early March window to a later date that has not yet been announced.^[1]

This is notable because GGG has historically been one of the most reliable studios in gaming when it comes to hitting their league launch cadence. Path of Exile has maintained roughly four expansions per year since 2018, with each league running approximately 13 weeks. Breaking that pattern signals that whatever is coming in 3.28 is either significantly larger in scope or required reworking mid-development.

Why the Delay Matters for Path of Exile 1

The PoE 1 vs PoE 2 Development Split

Since Path of Exile 2 entered early access in December 2024, the community has been watching closely to see whether GGG can sustain parallel development on both games. The studio has repeatedly stated that PoE 1 will continue receiving full leagues and expansions — but the 3.28 delay is the first concrete sign that resource allocation between the two projects may be causing friction.

That said, GGG’s post framed the delay as a quality decision, not a resource problem. The expansion reportedly includes systems or content that need additional polish before they’re ready for the live servers. Whether that explanation satisfies the community depends largely on what 3.28 actually contains — which GGG hasn’t revealed yet.

What the Reddit Community Is Saying

The Reddit thread announcing the delay pulled nearly 1,100 upvotes and close to 300 comments within hours. The reaction is split: some players appreciate the transparency and would rather have a polished league than a rushed one (memories of Kalandra still linger), while others worry this pattern — delay announcements without concrete dates — could become more frequent as PoE 2 demands more of GGG’s attention.

The "3.28 Bingo of Nerfs" thread running simultaneously with 346 upvotes and 274 comments shows the community is already speculating heavily on balance changes. Players are predicting nerfs to Reflecting Mist interactions and Infinite Hunger encounters specifically, with one highly-upvoted post (838 upvotes) calling out Infinite Hunger as a boss that “should not still be in the game in the state he is.”

What Autocomplete Data Tells Us About Player Interest

Most-Searched PoE Topics Right Now

Google Autocomplete data from February 2026 reveals what Path of Exile players are actually searching for. The top queries paint a clear picture of a playerbase primarily interested in the game’s roadmap and competitive viability:

• “path of exile 2 2026 roadmap” — The #1 autocomplete, reflecting anxiety about content pacing for the newer game
• “path of exile 2 best class 2026” — Players still trying to optimize their builds
• “path of exile 2 tier list 2026” — Meta awareness driving search behavior
• “diablo 4 vs path of exile 2 2026” — The eternal ARPG comparison remains strong
• “path of exile 2 new season” — Players are eager for fresh content cycles

Notably, most of these searches are for PoE 2 specifically, not PoE 1. That’s a meaningful signal — the newer game is dominating search interest, which adds context to why the 3.28 delay for PoE 1 has sparked such an emotional response. PoE 1 loyalists feel their game is being sidelined, whether or not that’s actually happening internally at GGG. For players diving into either version, our guide on how to farm orbs in PoE 2 covers the fundamentals that apply to both games’ economies.

What to Expect From 3.28 When It Does Launch

Balance Changes and Boss Reworks

While GGG hasn’t released official patch notes, the community consensus based on developer comments and historical patterns suggests several likely targets for 3.28:

Infinite Hunger has been the most-requested boss rework for months. The encounter’s design has been criticized for mechanics that feel outdated compared to PoE’s more modern endgame bosses. Reflecting Mist interactions are also on the community radar — one player’s viral post about getting a dream drop from a single Reflecting Mist encounter (922 upvotes) highlighted how these interactions can feel either incredible or completely pointless depending on RNG.

The “Act 1 wins the Best Act Elimination Poll” thread (444 upvotes, 110 comments) is a reminder that the community still holds deep affection for PoE’s early campaign content, even as the endgame continues to expand. Any campaign adjustments in 3.28 would be significant.

The Bigger Picture: PoE’s 2026 Content Calendar

If 3.28 launches in mid-to-late March instead of late February, it compresses the remaining 2026 schedule. GGG typically runs four leagues per year, meaning 3.29 would need to launch roughly Q3 2026 to maintain the cadence. The alternative — dropping to three leagues in 2026 — would be unprecedented and would almost certainly fuel more speculation about PoE 2 cannibalizing PoE 1’s development resources.

GGG has not commented on whether the overall 2026 cadence will change. Until they do, players should prepare for a longer current league and consider exploring content they may have skipped — this is a good window to push into deeper endgame content or experiment with builds you wouldn’t normally try. If you’re looking to level an alt or push into pinnacle boss encounters, an Eloking PoE coach can help you optimize your build and atlas strategy for the remaining weeks of the current league.

Key Takeaways for PoE Players

Here’s what’s confirmed: GGG has delayed the 3.28 expansion beyond its expected window. The studio framed this as a quality-driven decision, not a staffing issue. No new launch date has been announced. Reddit autocomplete data shows the community’s primary concern is the PoE 2 roadmap, not PoE 1 specifically, which adds an uncomfortable undertone to the delay discussion.

What’s still unknown: the exact launch date for 3.28, what new systems or content it includes, whether GGG will maintain four leagues in 2026, and whether any changes to the PoE 1/PoE 2 development split are planned. GGG typically reveals expansion details 2-3 weeks before launch, so concrete information should arrive before the end of February if a March launch is still the target.

References

1. [1] "An Update on 3.28 Expansion Timeline - Path of Exile Forum". pathofexile.com. Retrieved February 11, 2026