Deathloop release date arrives: Everything you should know on day one
Deathloop's launch time is upon us, so get to grips with its gameplay mechanics and multiplayer mode!
The day is finally here! Deathloop is out now on PS5 and PC, and players are now able to jump in and try out the latest excellent game from Arkane (the Bethesda-owned studio behind the recent Prey and Dishonored games).
Deathloop takes place on a colourful island that is stuck in a time loop, and you'll take control of Colt, an amnesiac assassin who's desperate to break the loop and unravel its manifold mysteries.
The game is an action-adventure title with lots of excitement to offer, and it's been receiving rave reviews over the last few days. We're pleased to report that it does live up to the hype, so you'll want to get involved as soon as you can.
To help you get started, we've assembled the ultimate crib sheet - here's everything you need to know about Deathloop's release date, launch time and gameplay mechanics, plus some handy advice on where is best to buy the game. Check it out!
When is the Deathloop release date and UK launch time?
The Deathloop release date on PS5 is 14th September 2021 - the game launched here in the UK at one minute past midnight this morning, so you can go and download it now! You'll be exploring the island of Blackreef and its mysterious time loop in no time.
The Deathloop PC release date is also 14th September 2021. The main PC platform for the game will be Steam, meaning that you won't find Deathloop on the Epic Games Store or the Xbox PC app - because of that, Deathloop won't be on Xbox Game Pass for PC for the time being.
Why isn't Deathloop on Xbox?
As agreed in a deal between Bethesda and Sony, Deathloop is a timed console exclusive on the PlayStation 5, which means the Deathloop Xbox release date cannot take place until one year after the original release.
This deal predates Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda, which does make the situation somewhat complicated - that's why we've ended up with an Xbox-owned game launching exclusively on PlayStation. Long story short, you'll have to wait a year to play the game on Xbox Series X/S.
What is the best price deal on Deathloop?
The recommended retail price for the PS5 version of Deathloop appears to be £59.99, with GAME listing that price on its website. You can get a fiver off the cost at Amazon, where Deathloop is going for £54.95. At Currys, another fiver has been struck off, with the price on that site being £49.99. Another couple of pounds can be saved at GameByte, where Deathloop is currently being sold at £47.95.
There are some even better deals for PC players - Green Man Gaming will sell you a PC code for Deathloop for £40.99, and CD Keys will sell you a PC copy of Deathloop for just £36.99. That's the best price we've seen for Deathloop so far!
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Deathloop story: What is Deathloop about?
Deathloop begins with an assassin called Colt being killed by a rival contract killer called Julianna. Colt then wakes up alive on the beachy shores of an island called Blackreef, and soon he realises that he is trapped in a time loop. To break the loop and get on with his life, Colt will have to kill the eight 'Visionaries' who rule over the island. Gradually, he learns to use the time loop to his advantage, working his way to one perfect day when he can kill all eight of his enemies before the loop resets.
How long is Deathloop?
The handy website How Long to Beat states that Deathloop is roughly 15 hours long if you're planning to mainline the story. If you'd rather take your time with collectables and exploration, you can expect the whole thing to take you roughly 20 hours. Of course, some players will spend even longer than that looking into every nook and cranny, and Deathloop does have plenty of hidden details for people like that to enjoy.
What is Deathloop gameplay like?
Deathloop is a first-person shooter game imbued with a handful of supernatural abilities, with those special powers echoing a number of traits from the Dishonored franchise (the developers' previous project). These abilities aren't easy to earn, but they do alter the experience significantly - temporary invisibility is one of the powers, for example.
There will be a combination of stealth, parkour, and attack skills as you play the game and the loop will require you to learn and study the moves of your targets if you want to be successful at taking them all out. There's a slight Hitman vibe going on, then. Working out how to kill all eight targets in one loop is the core gameplay challenge, and it feels like piecing together one huge puzzle.
It's also important to note that Deathloop is not a roguelike, so you won't lose all your progress every time you die - fairly early on in the game, you'll pick up an ability that allows you to retain items between loops - so you can build up your arsenal while you're scoping out the island. (Hint: this ability was created by a character called Wenjie, and you'll need to take her out to master it.)
How does Deathloop multiplayer work?
Deathloop can be played as a fully single-player game, but after the first couple of hours, you will be offered a chance to try out its unique multiplayer mode. In the multiplayer mode, you play as Julianna, and you get to invade the game's of other players - your mission is to hunt down and kill the player-controller Colt, and there are some rewards to be unlocked if you succeed.
If you want to try the multiplayer mode in Deathloop, select 'Protect the Loop' and instead of 'Break the Loop' on the game's main menu next time you boot it up. You can choose to target a specific friend of yours, or you can choose to be matched up with a random player you don't know.
If you don't want other players to invade your game and try to kill your Colt, you'll need to select 'single player' in the top left-hand corner of the menu screen that Colt visits between missions.
How big is the Deathloop file size?
Installing Deathloop requires 30GB of available space on PC or PS5, although it might be wise to reserve a little bit more than that - after all, every game gets post-launch updates and tweaks these days. If it seems to be taking ages for Deathloop to download, heed all the usual advice on fixing a slow download speed: cancel any other downloads or streams, move closer to your router, and connect up with an ethernet cable if you can.
Deathloop benchmark: What are the recommended PC specs for Deathloop?
Deathloop requires DirectX version 12 and a 64-bit processor, and it needs to run on Windows 10 version 1909 or higher. You can play Deathloop offline, but a broadband internet connection is recommended. The minimum PC specs for Deathloop look like this:
- Processor: Intel Core i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz or AMD Ryzen 5 1600
- Memory: 12 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GTX 1060 (6GB) or AMD Radeon RX 580 (8GB)
And the recommended PC specs for Deathloop look like this:
- Processor: Intel Core i7-9700K @ 3.60GHz or AMD Ryzen 7 2700X
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia RTX 2060 (6GB) or AMD Radeon RX 5700 (8GB)
Is there a new trailer for Deathloop?
Bethesda marked the Deathloop release date with a special launch trailer, which gives incoming players a solid idea of what to expect. Take a look below and get ready for loop after loop of action-packed fun:
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