News, AION 2

AION 2 global opens without player-to-player trading: what to do before Advanced Access on September 30

AION 2's global version opens Advanced Access for Founder's Pack buyers from September 30 to October 4 and launches free to play on October 5. After the Launch Scale Test, NCSOFT disabled direct player trades as an anti-bot measure and added a priority queue for accounts in good standing.

Where to play

A winged warrior climbing above a cloud layer, with floating islands and spires trailing below

NCSOFT's MMORPG AION 2 opens its global version with Advanced Access on September 30. After the two-day Launch Scale Test that began September 17, the team announced that direct trading between players is disabled and that the queue rules are changing[1]. Advanced Access runs through October 4, and the official launch is October 5[1]. Everything below was checked against the official Steam announcements as of September 27, 2026.

Trading goes through the Market only

In the global version you cannot hand items directly to another player. The team calls it an anti-bot measure, and all trading between players goes through the Market[1]. Passing gear straight to a friend or guildmate is not an option.

A priority line in the queue

When a server is full, the queue now splits in two. Accounts in good standing join a priority queue instead of the general one, and both lines move as space opens. The team stresses that priority access is a privilege, not a guarantee: accounts with disciplinary action, or suspected of breaking the Terms of Service, can lose it[1].

Before September 30

If you took part in the test on Steam, there is one step first: uninstall the Playtest app and download AION 2 itself separately to get into Advanced Access[1]. Players on NCSOFT's own PURPLE launcher have nothing to do[1].

Advanced Access is for Founder's Pack buyers[1]. Everyone else can start for free at the October 5 launch, and the Steam store lists it as free to play[2]. Global servers are in North America, South America, Europe and Japan[3].

Sources

[1] NCSOFT. Launch Scale Test Comes to a Close: What's Next?. Steam announcement, September 19, 2026.

[2] Valve. Steam app details API, appid 3393110. Accessed September 27, 2026.

[3] NCSOFT. Steam Pre-release FAQ. Steam announcement, September 16, 2026.

Source: NCSOFT ↗

More news

See all →
An event illustration for WOS: Whiteout Survival showing two characters fishing with rods in the blue sea beneath the ice, with large fish swimming around them

, Game Industry Promotion Act

Overseas game firms ignoring odds correction orders may face network restrictions

South Korea's National Assembly amended the Game Industry Promotion Act on October 1. Overseas game companies that skip a domestic agent or ignore loot box correction orders can face network restrictions, and agents must first come from local entities such as subsidiaries.

A pilot stands silhouetted at a dark hangar entrance, looking out at maintenance facilities and massive wreckage scattered across sand dunes

, STAR WARS: Galactic Racer

From landspeeders to podracers: STAR WARS: Galactic Racer arrives October 6

STAR WARS: Galactic Racer, the first game from Fuse Games, co-founded by Burnout contributor Matt Webster, launches October 6 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. Korean Steam prices are KRW 64,500 standard and KRW 86,000 deluxe, with Korean subtitles.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on PC, showing Geralt and Ciri sitting side by side against the trunk of a large tree

, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Special characters in the Documents path broke saves in The Witcher 3 Remastered, fixed two days later

CD PROJEKT RED's October 1 Steam PC Hotfix 5.00c for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered fixes save/load errors with special characters in Documents paths and Classic (1.32) launch errors. Consoles and Xbox PC got Patch 5.00b that day for DLSS and dark interiors.

Key art of three mages holding staves, coats billowing as they fly above Tokyo's buildings at night, with an illuminated broadcast tower in the distance

, Astrae Oratio

Team raids debut in Astrae Oratio's five-day closed beta for selected players

NC's anime RPG Astrae Oratio runs a global closed beta on Android and iOS from October 2 to 6, with 3 main stories, 2 side stories, 18 characters and the first reveal of team raids. NC plans to incorporate feedback for a 2027 release.