AION 2 Playtest

The AION 2 playtest is no longer available. Officially called the Launch Scale Test, it ran on September 17–18, 2026, before Early Access and the October 5 Global launch. It provided two six-hour sessions on Windows PC, capped characters at level 37, disabled the commercial economy and removed all progress after the second session.

Progress carried from the first test day into the second, but characters, levels, equipment and currency did not transfer to Early Access or launch. If you are looking for a way to play now, do not follow old Request Access, preload or Playtest App instructions: AION 2 Global has already launched through Steam and PURPLE.

AION 2 playtest facts at a glance

The test was not a continuously open weekend beta. Its servers were available only during the two scheduled windows, so even approved players could not enter between sessions.

The schedule in every major timezone

Pre-download opened on September 16 at 6:00 AM PDT. The first playable window began the following day, and the second used a later start time. The schedule below preserves the date changes caused by crossing midnight.

Editorial summary of the historical test wipe and the released client.

These local conversions described when the servers were scheduled to open. They did not guarantee service eligibility in every country. Regional availability and age-rating restrictions still applied, so seeing a convenient local time was not the same as being able to access the test from that region.

How players entered the historical test

The Launch Scale Test was presented as an open test rather than a paid Founder’s Pack benefit. NC directed Steam users to the AION 2 store page to apply, while the detailed test FAQ listed both Steam and PURPLE as supported PC clients.

The historical Steam flow was:

1. Open the AION 2 store page in the Steam desktop client.
2. Find the playtest module and select Request Access.
3. After access appeared, install the separate test client during the preload window.
4. Launch that client only during one of the two scheduled sessions.

No console or Global mobile test was announced. The Global product was a Windows PC release, even though the separate Korean and Taiwan services had mobile availability. Old articles that describe the test as a general mobile beta or use another regional version’s entry process are mixing different services.

The phrase “open to everyone” also needs context. It meant that the test did not require a paid pack, invitation key or closed selection list. It did not cancel Steam availability rules, local age ratings or regional service boundaries. Reports from players who could not see the test in a particular country do not establish a universal rule for every other country.

What the test included and disabled

The Launch Scale Test was built to place load on logins, servers and supporting infrastructure under conditions resembling live service. It offered enough of the opening game to test movement, combat, flight, character creation and early progression, but it was deliberately not a complete version of the released MMORPG.

Players could create characters from the eight-class Global line-up: Gladiator, Templar, Assassin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Spiritmaster, Cleric and Chanter. They could level through early content up to 37 and enter activities available below that ceiling. Anything requiring a higher level remained inaccessible.

The following systems were disabled during the test:

• Shop purchases, Quna purchases and other payment portals
• Passes and memberships
• The player Market
• The Kina-to-Quna exchange
• Direct player-to-player trading
• Founder’s Pack items
• The full Closet, leaving only default outfits
• Content above the level 37 test ceiling

These limits matter when interpreting old impressions. A player could evaluate basic controls, class feel, early combat, exploration and PC performance. The same player could not use this build to evaluate the functioning live economy, paid membership experience, high-level progression or the complete cosmetic system.

The level 37 cap was specific to this temporary test. It was not the maximum level of the released Global service. Global launched around level 45 progression, so an old statement that “AION 2 ends at level 37” is describing the test client, not the live game.

How the progress wipe worked

The two sessions belonged to one short test period. Progress made in Session 1 remained available when Session 2 opened, allowing a player to continue the same temporary character instead of restarting after six hours.

That continuity ended with Session 2. The test used a full wipe:

• Test characters did not transfer.
• Character levels did not transfer.
• Equipment and collected items did not transfer.
• Currency did not transfer.
• Character creation work did not become a launch character.
• Nothing moved into the September 30 Early Access period.
• Nothing moved into the October 5 Global launch.

Founder’s Pack ownership did not change this rule. Pack items were unavailable inside the Launch Scale Test, and buying a pack did not preserve test progression. The pack applied to the separate Early Access stage, whose retained progression began only after that stage opened.

This is why spending the short test window on permanent-looking progress was never useful. The practical value was comparing controls or classes, checking how the game ran on a PC and learning the opening systems without treating any reward as permanent.

What the test could reveal about the game

The test offered a limited but genuine look at the opening experience. Community accounts from the test repeatedly discussed combat, automated movement, vertical map design, character customization and the large number of early progression systems. Those accounts were mixed rather than unanimous.

One player reported initially disliking the combat and mobile-like interface, then enjoying the combat more after several hours and after more skills became relevant. The same account liked the vertical starting area, visible field bosses, pets, mounts and the constant supply of map activities, but disliked how often early quests placed friends into separate instances. Other first-day comments ranged from enjoying the smooth combat and exploration to finding the combat shallow or the story uninteresting.

Those reactions are useful for identifying what people actually encountered, but they do not turn a twelve-hour stress test into a complete review. The limited build could not answer several larger questions:

• It could show how early class controls felt, but not establish a lasting class tier list.
• It could expose interface and performance issues, but not prove how every PC configuration would behave at launch.
• It could show early exploration, but not represent all level 45 activities.
• It could not demonstrate a working player economy because trading systems were switched off.
• It could not establish the long-term effect of memberships or passes because payment systems were disabled.
• It could not provide a complete endgame verdict because content above level 37 was unavailable.

For those reasons, a playtest impression should remain labeled as a September 17–18 test impression. It should not be presented as evidence that a later Global patch has the same balance, performance or progression behavior.

Playtest, Early Access and Global launch compared

The three 2026 access stages were separate. Search results sometimes blend them together because they happened within less than three weeks.

Early Access restored key online features absent from the scale test, including marketplace activity, the broader economy, wardrobe and transmog functions, PvP activities, higher-level content and retained progress. It was therefore not “test day three.” It was the beginning of the persistent service for eligible Founder’s Pack owners.

Global launch followed on October 5. Steam and PURPLE share the Global servers and content, while Korean and Taiwan characters do not transfer into Global. The earlier test wipe and the separation between regional services are different rules: the first deleted temporary test progress, while the second prevents progress from another service from being imported.

How to read old playtest instructions now

Several phrases in older guides are obsolete as of October 9, 2026:

• “Request Access” describes entry to the ended scale test.
• “Preload on September 16” refers to the temporary test client.
• “Servers open for six hours” describes each historical test session, not current server hours.
• “Level cap 37” describes the test build, not the released Global progression limit.
• “The Market is disabled” describes a test restriction, not a permanent design rule.
• “Progress will wipe” applies to the scale test; persistent progression began with Early Access.
• “Wait for September 30 or October 5” is outdated because both dates have passed.

A remaining Playtest App entry or an old test download should not be treated as the current path into AION 2. Use the live AION 2 listing or the current PURPLE product instead. Exact installation and account-linking steps belong to the dedicated download guide because they can change independently of this historical test record.

The practical answer today

There is no active AION 2 playtest to join. The September Launch Scale Test ended after its two scheduled sessions, its temporary characters were wiped, Early Access ended and the Global Windows PC service launched on October 5, 2026.

The test remains relevant for understanding old screenshots, comments and restrictions. When an older post mentions two six-hour windows, level 37, disabled trading, default outfits or a mandatory wipe, it is describing the September test—not the game currently available through Steam and PURPLE.

Next Guides

Distinguish the wiped test from the retained head start and move to current launch or installation instructions.

• AION 2 Early Access
• AION 2 Download
• AION 2 Release Date