Hi-Rez Announced a Sequel to Their Beloved MOBA with Trailer and Upcoming Closed Beta

SMITE is entering its 11th season, celebrating nearly an entire decade of the battleground of the gods. The Year 11 Celebration Event comes with amazing rewards to give to long-time players and newcomers alike. However, more exciting than the 11th Season is the announcement of SMITE 2.

In a 1:12 video released on the official SMITE by Titan Forge Games YouTube channel, you can see the newly enhanced SMITE 2 is remade with the Unreal Engine 5 (while the original was made with the age-old Unreal Engine 3). This rehaul is more than just a visual overhaul, however, as Hi-Rez and Titan Forge Games are looking to enhance gameplay experience with physics-based abilities (for some Gods like Ymir) and more.

SMITE 2 will feature the biggest changes that will come to the battleground of the gods since the release of the game. With new ranked systems, improved matchmaking, an overhauled item system (with changes to relics), a vision control slot, and so much more. This overhaul will remake SMITE as a whole new experience that will be an all-around improvement from the original.

The release of the sequel also doesn't mean the end of the original (now dubbed SMITE 1 on Hi-Rez's official website) — instead, it will remain as a standalone game that players can revisit and rejoin whenever they want. It will continue being supported "for the foreseeable future", with regular updates and servers being open to the public.

If you want to hit the ground running with SMITE 2, then we have good news: there is an upcoming "true Alpha playtest" that will be meant to involve the community while the game is built. This limited, experimental branch is meant to give everyone a look at the upcoming game, so it'll have limited features and Gods to play, but it's an opportunity to acquaint yourself with the new systems.

If you want to participate, you'll have to head on over to the SMITE 2 Steam page and hit "Request Access" (according to the Zendesk article on SMITE 2), but at the time of writing, it isn't available to request. Likewise, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and the Epic Games Store, you can enter by going to SMITE2.com website and clicking "Register for Alpha".

It's worth noting that Alpha access is not guaranteed, but those who purchase the Founder's Pack for SMITE 2 will be able to access it (alongside the Ultimate God Pack, similarly to that of SMITE). The playtests will take place during weekend playtests, though there is no confirmation on when that will be available.

SMITE 2 is coming soon to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Epic Games (with incorporated Steam Deck support being added as well).