Biomutant release date and time: When does the kung-fu critter game launch?

That official description also notes that the game's unique design "lets players change their character’s abilities and appearance with powerful mutations, bionic prosthetics and weapons. Grow claws, sprout wings, or attach a robotic leg – each choice will impact the way your hero plays in real-time combat that blends melee martial arts and firearms."

Sounds pretty good, right? If you just can't control your excitement, read on while we answer all the big questions on Biomutant ahead of its release.

When is the Biomutant release date?

Developed by Experiment 101 and published by THQ Nordic, Biomutant is confirmed to have a release date of 25th May 2021. And if you're wondering which platforms the game is coming to, an official blog on the Biomutant website notes that this launch will span PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

What time does Biomutant come out and can I preload it?

THQ has not yet confirmed the official launch time for Biomutant, but we'll be sure to let you know when that changes. It is possible to preload the game now on Xbox consoles, though, so at least you can get that admin out of the way. Preload on PlayStation consoles is believed to be opening on 23rd May, according to reports on Twitter, which also claim that the file size will be around 21.5 GB (including the base game and a day-one patch). There's no word on PC preloads yet, that we can see.

How much will Biomutant cost?

Here in the UK, GAME and Amazon are listing the PC, PS4 and Xbox One versions of Biomutant with a price of £49.99.

Oddly, it seems to be more expensive to buy the PC version directly from Steam, GOG or the Epic Games Store, with all of those launchers listing the game at £54.99.

It is worth shopping around a bit for deals, though. CD Keys will currently sell you the PC version of Biomutant for £34.99, while Gamebyte has the console versions at £42.95. Either of those options could save you a couple of quid!

Pre-order Biomutant here:

• Buy the PC version from CD Keys (£34.99)
• Buy the PS4 version from Gamebyte (£42.95)
• Buy the Xbox One version from Gamebyte (£42.95)

What is the Biomutant pre-order bonus?

As THQ explained in an official blog, anyone that pre-orders Biomutant will get access to the Mercenary class as DLC. The blog says: "The Mercenary offers a unique combination of perks and is playable from the start through this DLC only. The Mercenary has dual-wield as a starting ability and is geared up with a classic Katana and the shorter Wakizashi blades to explain it in real-world terms. Simply put, it’ll let you experience the world of Biomutant as classic samurai-looking warrior from the very beginning."

Is Biomutant on Nintendo Switch, PS5 or any other platforms?

Biomutant will not be launching on Nintendo Switch, so you're out of luck if you wanted to play this game at launch on Nintendo's popular handheld console. That being said, there's nothing to say that a Switch port couldn't be made at some point in the future - but that has not been confirmed as of yet.

There's better news for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S owners. Although these next-gen consoles are not officially listed among the confirmed platforms for Biomutant, you should be able to play the previous-gen versions of Biomutant on your next-gen console through the magic of backwards compatibility.

Is Biomutant on Xbox Game Pass?

Biomutant will not be launching on Xbox Game Pass, but there is one subscription club whose members will get day-one access to the game. If you're a member of EA Play Pro, you'll be able to play Biomutant on PC at no extra cost - the EA Origin website confirmed this.

This top tier of EA Play, the 'Pro' part, is not included in Xbox Game Pass. Another game that launched on EA Play Pro recently, without coming to Game Pass, was Mass Effect: Legendary Edition.

• Join EA Play Pro here (£14.99 per month, only for PC)

How long will it take to complete Biomutant?

"Our estimation for a 'rushed' run-through of Biomutant is at about 12-15 hours," developer Stefan Ljungqvist told Gaming Bolt. "This means: focus on the main story, skip most dialogues, don’t go wandering off for exploration and ignore side-quests. On the other hand, one of our team-members is just giving Biomutant a go the way he usually plays games. He isn’t done yet and has about 65 hours of playtime. So it really depends on what type of player you are."

What are the minimum PC requirements for Biomutant?

According to the official Steam product page for Biomutant, the minimum requirements to play Biomutant on PC look like this:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 7/8.1/10 (64 bit)
• Processor: AMD FX-8350 or Intel Core i5-4690K or newer running at 3.5 GHz or higher
• Memory: 8 GB RAM
• Graphics: 4 GB Direct3D 11 capable video card - GeForce GTX 960 or Radeon R9 380
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 25 GB available space
• Sound Card: Integrated or dedicated DirectX 9 compatible soundcard

Meanwhile, the recommended PC requirements for Biomutant look like this, and should allow you to play the game in higher quality:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 (64bit)
• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 or Intel Core i7-6700K or newer running at 3.2 GHz or higher
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: 6 GB Direct3D 11 capable video card - GeForce GTX 1660Ti or Radeon RX 590
• DirectX: Version 11
• Storage: 25 GB available space
• Sound Card: Integrated or dedicated DirectX 9 compatible soundcard

Is there early access for Biomutant?

Bad news for impatient people - it doesn't look like there will be a public early access window for Biomutant, which means we'll all be jumping into the game on its full release date of 25th May. The game has been sent out to influencers like PewDiePie, though. So if you're keen for an early look, you can check out his video below:

• For the latest news and expert tips on getting the best deals this year, take a look at our Black Friday 2021 and Cyber Monday 2021 guides.

Will Biomutant have multiplayer?

Biomutant will not have multiplayer at launch. As cool as it would be to team up with our friends in a co-op mode or fight them in a versus mode, Biomutant is envisioned as a single-player adventure. It'll be interesting to see if multiplayer ever gets added at a later date. Let's not forget that Ghost of Tsushima looked like a single-player game at launch before adding multiplayer later. Anything could happen!

Is there a trailer for Biomutant?

There have been quite a few trailers for Biomutant since it was first revealed in 2017. Most recently, Square Enix shared three minutes of stunning gameplay footage running on PC. You can take a look at that below:

Pre-order Biomutant here:

• Buy the PC version from CD Keys (£34.99)
• Buy the PS4 version from Gamebyte (£42.95)
• Buy the Xbox One version from Gamebyte (£42.95)

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