Marvel's Avengers unlock times, pre-load, pre-order bonuses and everything else you need to know
Marvel's Avengers is just a few days away, and we know exactly when we can start playing.
Marvel's Avengers developer Crystal Dynamics has revealed pretty much all remaining details about the game's impending release on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Stadia. You may have already gotten a taste of what Avengers has to offer with the recent beta weekends, and the full game obviously offers much more.
You'll have access to six heroes (Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Ms. Marvel, Black Widow, and Thor), playable in the campaign and across over 80 War Zones and Drop Zones. Future, post-launch heroes - such as Hawkeye - and new regions will all be free to all players.
Read on below for everything you need to know about the release of Marvel's Avengers.
Marvel's Avengers unlock times
Marvel's Avengers essentially has two release dates, depending on which edition you go for. The Standard, $60 version releases Friday, September 4. The more expensive versions - Deluxe Edition ($80), PlayStation Store Exclusive Digital Edition ($70), and Earth’s Mightiest Edition ($200) - all unlock three days early, on Tuesday, September 1.
Here's how that all breaks down.
Deluxe/PS Store Exclusive/Earth’s Mightiest Edition unlock times
Servers go live at different times depending on your platform of choice and your region.
- PC (Steam): live worldwide at 9am PT, 12pm ET, 5pm UK on September 1.
- PS4: midnight local time on September 1.
- Xbox One: midnight local time on September 1.
- Stadia: live worldwide at 9am PT, 12pm ET, 5pm UK on September 1.
Standard Edition unlock times
Unlock times are the same for the Standard Edition, just on a different day.
- PC (Steam): live worldwide at 9am PT, 12pm ET, 5pm UK on September 4.
- PS4: midnight local time on September 4.
- Xbox One: midnight local time on September 4.
- Stadia: live worldwide at 9am PT, 12pm ET, 5pm UK on September 4.
Marvel's Avengers pre-load
Marvel's Avengers is available now to pre-load on PS4 with a download size of 56GB, but only for the versions that unlock on September 1. PS4 players with the standard edition will be able to pre-load on Wednesday, September 2.
PC players can also now pre-load the full game on Steam, and the same is true on Xbox One.
Marvel's Avengers day one patch
Marvel's Avengers does have a day one update. It's going to be around 18GB, and everyone will need to download it. If you own a digital copy, your download/pre-load will include the patch data by default, so you'll be able to jump in as soon as servers go live.
Those who went with a physical copy can now also download the patch, assuming they have their copies in hand. The day one patch includes localisation for several languages, as well as a few fixes and changes based on beta feedback. You definitely don't want to play without it.
Marvel's Avengers Square Enix Members account requirement
If you're going to play Marvel's Avengers online, you'll need a Square Enix Members account. The same account is what you'll also be using to redeem any pre-order bonuses, and to claim any future freebies.
If you previously had a Square Enix Members account, or created one for the beta, you should be fine for release. The same account is going to be used with the full game, and it should already be linked to Steam/PS4/Xbox One seeing as you used it with the recent beta.
If you don't have one, you can create a free Square Enix Members account today at the link. Feel free to get this done ahead of time; we all remember how hard servers got hit during the beta.
Marvel's Avengers pre-order bonuses
Marvel's Avengers comes with a basic set of pre-order bonuses regardless of platform and retailer. However, some retailers offer extra goodies not available anywhere else, and the same can be true for certain platforms.
Here's what everyone gets for pre-ordering the game, regardless of edition/retailer/platform:
- Five Marvel Legacy outfits: Captain America’s Front Line outfit. Iron Man's Iron Will outfit. Black Widow's Classic Stealth outfit. Thor's Asgard’s Might outfit. Hulk's Breakthrough outfit. Ms. Marvel's Greater Good outfit.
- Unique nameplate. Can be used with any hero.