Aion 2 on Steam
NCSoft's MMORPG sequel landed on Steam on October 5, 2026 — free to play, Unreal Engine 5, built around aerial faction war between Elyos and Asmodians across a world said to be 36 times larger than the original.
How it's doing on Steam: Aion 2 sits at "Mixed" on Steam — about 53–59% positive from ~18–27k user reviews. Checking concurrent numbers on Steam Charts or the store's own stats box is the quickest way to gauge whether the launch population is holding up.
Steam Deck — does it run?
Yes, through Proton (rated Platinum on ProtonDB reports), but it's not plug-and-play. There's no native gamepad support, so plan on building a Steam Input layout — and treat the Deck as a secondary screen for dailies, not a main platform for big PvP fights.
| Setting | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Proton | Proton Experimental to start; recheck after patches, launchers and anti-cheat updates can break a working setup |
| SteamOS cap | 40 FPS / 40 Hz — don't chase 60, the APU can't hold it in busy areas |
| Resolution | 1280×800, fullscreen |
| Upscaling | TSR Quality (or TSR performance — looked better than performance FSR in testing) |
| Textures / View distance | High / Medium |
| Shadows, GI, reflections, effects | Low — the expensive stuff that costs frames without adding much mid-fight |
| Frame gen / V-Sync | Off / Off |
| Storage | Internal SSD — UE5 asset streaming punishes a slow MicroSD |
Realistic numbers: just under 30 fps in towns crowded with players, 40–50 fps in instanced dungeons. If GeForce Now picks the game up, streaming it to the Deck beats running it natively.
PC requirements (minimum)
| Component | Minimum |
|---|---|
| OS | Windows 10/11 64-bit |
| CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 2600 / Intel Core i5-10500 |
| RAM | 8 GB |
| GPU | NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti (4GB) |
| DirectX | Version 12 |
FAQ
Is Aion 2 free?
Yes — free to play on Steam with in-app purchases. No box price, no subscription required to start.
Elyos or Asmodian?
That's the core faction war choice — the same split as the original Aion, now fought in the air on UE5.
Why Mixed reviews?
Launch weeks for NCSoft MMOs usually draw complaints about monetization and queues; read the most recent Steam reviews rather than the launch-day ones.
Console or mobile?
PC only — the Steam listing is Windows-only. On Steam Deck and Linux it runs through Proton.