Contents
In short
- Facts: Steam rates AION 2 ‘Mixed’ — 59.5% of 31,398 reviews positive on Oct 15, 2026; players with 10+ hours: 65.6% positive.
- Facts: launch peak above 400,000 players (NC, Steam + PURPLE); Steam alone peaked at 397,905; 287,608 were online on Steam at 16:46 UTC on Oct 15.
- Praised most: flight, the world, the character creator, combat feel. Criticized most: monetization (Market behind a per-server membership), solo-heavy leveling, grind after 45, account rules.
- NC reacted fast in week one: Founder’s Pack cosmetics made usable on all characters, a free Customization Voucher, extra servers, paid server transfers, the Ludra raid pulled for rework.
- Our opinion (labelled): worth trying for free; wait before paying if monetization is a deal-breaker for you.
Special Quai MembershipMarketOdyle EnergyWingsP2W
How this review works. Sections marked Facts use sourced data (Steam APIs, NC notices). Sections marked Opinion are the view of the Aion2help Editorial Team. We analysed Steam reviews ourselves through Steam’s public API on Oct 15, 2026; we did not copy other outlets’ reviews. No one paid for this page.
Facts: the numbers after 10 days
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Steam review score | Mixed — 59.5% of 31,398 positive | Steam reviews API |
| Players with 10+ hours | 65.6% positive (19,096 reviews) | Steam reviews API |
| Launch peak (Steam + PURPLE) | 400,000+ | NC |
| Steam peak (launch day) | 397,905 | Inven Global (SteamDB data) |
| Steam players online, Oct 15, 16:46 UTC | 287,608 | Steam Web API |
In plain words: a big launch that is holding its audience, with reviews split roughly 60/40.
Reviews by language (Oct 15, 2026)
| Language | Reviews | Positive |
|---|---|---|
| English | 15,212 | 55% |
| German | 2,398 | 62% |
| Russian | 2,243 | 55% |
| Portuguese (Brazil) | 2,127 | 70% |
| Spanish (Spain) | 2,067 | 77% |
| French | 1,963 | 59% |
| Simplified Chinese | 701 | 77% |
| Japanese | 438 | 40% |
[Steam reviews API, language filter]. Our count at 09:20–09:30 UTC; totals move every hour.
Facts: what players praise and criticize
We read the 100 most helpful and 100 most recent reviews in each major language and tagged themes by keyword (rough estimate):
Praised: flight and wings; the world and graphics; the character creator; combat feel; pets and mounts; nostalgia for AION 1.
Criticized:
- Monetization — the most common theme: it appears in roughly a third to a half of negative reviews in most Western languages we sampled. Main points: the Market and Kina↔Quna exchange require membership; membership is bound to one server; prices are not adjusted per region.
- “An MMO you play alone” — group play matters mainly after 45.
- Grind after 45 — energy systems (Odyle Energy), weekly limits, item level gates.
- Account policies — the most-voted English review is about NC’s inactive-account rules; age-verification requests appear in several markets.
- Bots and server choice (Asia server chat, ping) in some markets.
Facts: how NC responded in week one
- Founder’s Pack cosmetics made usable on all characters and servers, with a free claim shop — [Official].
- A free Customization Voucher for every player — [Official].
- New servers in several regions and paid server transfers from Oct 14 — [Official].
- Sanctuary Raid: Ludra pulled from the launch build after being cleared faster than expected, to return with changed mechanics — [Official + Community]. → News
- Weekly account restrictions for bots and policy violations — [Official].
- Direct player trade stays disabled as an anti-bot measure — [Official].
Opinion: our verdict
Opinion — Aion2help Editorial Team, Oct 15, 2026. Based on the facts above and on the systems documented across this site.
What works. Flying through Verteron or Altgard is the best version of AION’s signature idea so far. The character creator is excellent. Two factions on separate, paired servers is a clean answer to old faction-imbalance problems. Free players can reach the same gear tiers as payers.
What doesn’t (yet). Locking the Market and exchange behind a server-bound membership makes the economy feel smaller and pushes free players to self-farm. The road to 45 is long and mostly solo, which surprises people who came for an MMO. After 45, energy and weekly caps set the pace more than player skill.
Who should play now: anyone curious — the download is free and the first 45 levels cost nothing. Who should wait: players for whom an open, player-driven economy is essential, and anyone who wants to see Season 2 changes first.
Score? We don’t give a number. Ten days is too early, and NC is still changing core systems. We will revisit this review after the next major Global update.
Before you decide
- What is free and what is not: Without membership · Pay to win?
- Account rules and risks: Account rules
- How it compares: AION 2 vs Throne and Liberty, Lost Ark and Black Desert
- Live numbers: Player count
FAQ
Is AION 2 worth playing in 2026?
Our opinion: yes, as a free download, if you enjoy flight, factions and character creation. Players who keep playing rate it higher (65.6% positive at 10+ hours). If you dislike membership-gated trading, test it before spending money.
Why are AION 2 Steam reviews Mixed?
The most common complaints are monetization (Market and Kina↔Quna exchange need a per-server membership), a mostly solo road to level 45, grind and energy systems after 45, and account policies such as inactive-account deletion and age verification.
Is AION 2 dead?
No. On Oct 15, 2026 Steam reported 287,608 players online at 16:46 UTC, ten days after launch. Steam peaked at 397,905 on launch day. We update numbers on our player count page.
Is AION 2 pay to win?
It is free to play with an optional membership. Paying speeds up progress (Market, more Odyle Energy) but no exclusive gear is sold. Our full neutral breakdown is on the pay-to-win page.
Who wrote this review?
The Aion2help Editorial Team. Facts are sourced; the verdict is our opinion and is labelled as such. We have no commercial relationship with NC.
Sources
We rewrite facts from sources in our own words and link to the originals.
- Steam reviews API — AION 2 (app 3393110), all languages; also playtime ≥10 h filter — 31,398 reviews, 18,669 positive (59.5%), Mixed; playtime ≥10 h: 19,096 reviews, 65.6% positive — Oct 15, 2026; per-language counts via language= filter · accessed Oct 15, 2026
- Steam Web API — current players for AION 2 (app 3393110) — 287,608 players, Oct 15, 2026, 16:46 UTC · accessed Oct 15, 2026
- Inven Global: AION 2 surpasses 400,000 concurrent players with official launch — Steam peak 397,905 on launch day · accessed Oct 15, 2026
- Thank you for 300,000 Active Players! — NC: 300,000 active players · accessed Oct 15, 2026
- Steam announcement: Thank you for 400,000 Active Players — NC: 400,000 active players · accessed Oct 15, 2026
- Founder's Packs cosmetics available on all characters (updated Oct 14) — Founder’s Pack cosmetics usable on all characters and servers · accessed Oct 15, 2026
- Patch Notes Oct 6 (PDT) / Oct 7 (CEST) — Founder’s Pack shop for all characters · accessed Oct 15, 2026
- Steam announcement: Customization Voucher to all players — Customization Voucher to all players · accessed Oct 15, 2026
- Update on Sanctuary Raid — Sanctuary Raid update (Ludra) · accessed Oct 15, 2026
- Server Transfer Products Info — paid server transfers · accessed Oct 15, 2026
- Steam announcement: New Servers Opening (Europe) — new EU servers · accessed Oct 15, 2026
- Special Quai Membership — membership $14.99, one server; Market and exchange · accessed Oct 15, 2026
- Launch Scale Test Comes to a Close — direct player trade disabled (anti-bot) · accessed Oct 15, 2026
- Account Restrictions: Operation Policy Violations and Temporary Security Locks (Oct 14) — account restrictions for policy violations · accessed Oct 15, 2026
- About the Game — AION 2 Global official site (classes, dungeons, flight, pets) — flight, 200+ customization options, dungeons · accessed Oct 15, 2026
Page history
- — First version (10 days after Global launch).