Outriders launch day is here: Release date time, Game Pass and latest news
Are you ready to jump into the world of Outriders?
Outriders is a new sci-fi shooter game from People Can Fly, a Polish developer that previously worked on Fortnite, Bulletstorm and the Gears of War franchise.
There's an impressive pedigree behind this project, then, and this new co-op game already earned its first wave of fans thanks to a recent Outriders demo. The demo gave us all a chance to try out the different Outriders classes and work out which path is our favourite. (It's got to be Trickster, right?)
The full release of the game is now upon us, and you've come to the right place for all the essential info on how you can start playing it. Even though you can play it solo, Outriders is a crossplay game, which means you can team up with your mates in groups of three, regardless of which platforms you all play on.
With the game launching on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and Google Stadia, there is no shortage of ways to play it. Keep on reading, and we'll make sure you're in a great position to start playing Outriders as soon as possible.
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- Outriders Worldslayer review - our full verdict
- Outriders Worldslayer DLC - release date and details
Outriders launch date and release time
The Outriders release date, on all platforms, is 1st April 2021. We even know the specific launch time for each platform, too, thanks to an official Reddit post from the developers.
If you're playing on an Xbox or PlayStation console, anywhere in the world, Outriders became available to you at midnight on 1st April; or if you're playing on PC or Stadia, the launch time will be 5pm here in the UK. Console players get a bit of a head start, then.
Over in the USA, PC and Stadia players can jump into the game at 12pm EDT or 9am PDT. And in Australia, you can start playing on PC or Stadia at 3am on 2nd April. Simple, right?
Outriders pre-load details and download size
As the Outriders developers confirmed on Reddit, players on most platforms were able to pre-load the game ahead of release and save themselves some time on launch day. On Xbox, PlayStation at Steam, pre-loading the game has been possible for a while now.
Judging by the pre-load on RadioTimes.com's Xbox Series X console, it looks like the file size for Outriders will be 47.82 GB. The publishers at Square Enix have also flagged on Reddit that there could be a big day-one patch to download, as well as further post-launch support down the line.
Or if you play on Google Stadia, you'll be used to the fact that downloads are not necessary on this platform. It's all streamed from the web on Stadia, so all you need to download is the Stadia app (or head to the Stadia website via your browser of choice).
Outriders price and Xbox Game Pass giveaway
Outriders is available to order now, with Amazon selling the 'Day One Edition' of the game for £54.99. GAME is offering the exact same price, so that seems to be the industry standard right now. Amazon is offering a patch set as an added incentive to buy, while GAME has a pin set for the same purpose - and so, either way, you get a little something extra with your copy of the game.
If you want to save a couple of quid and aren't too fussed about pins or patches, GameByte will sell you a copy of Outriders for the slightly reduced price of £47.95. Or CD Keys will sell you a PC code for £35.99. That's the best price we've spotted so far.
Members of Xbox Game Pass get the best deal, though - Outriders will be available for free as part of your Game Pass membership, with the game joining the Xbox Game Pass library on 1st April. It will be available on Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S through all the usual channels, as well as coming to Android phones and tablets through the Xbox Cloud Gaming Beta. It will not be coming to the PC version of Game Pass, though.
Where to buy Outriders:
- Buy Outriders from Amazon for £54.99
- Buy Outriders from GameByte for £47.95
- Buy Outriders from CD Keys for £35.99
- Buy six months of Xbox Game Pass for £47.49
Outriders PC specs: Can your computer run it?
According to the official Steam page for Outriders, the minimum specs to run the game on your PC look like this:
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel I5-3470 / AMD FX-8350
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 750ti / AMD Radeon R9 270x
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 70 GB available space
- Additional Notes: 720p / 60fps
Or if you want more of a high-end experience, the recommended PC specs for Outriders are described like so:
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS: Windows 10
- Processor: Intel i7-7700 / AMD Ryzen 5 1600
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: Nvidia Geforce GTX 1060 6GB / AMD Radeon RX 480 8GB
- DirectX: Version 12
- Storage: 70 GB available space
- Additional Notes: 1080p / 60fps
It's interesting to note that the PC storage space required is listed as 70 GB, when the Xbox version appears to be less than 50 GB. The reasons for that are unclear, but we'll let you know if we find out why PC players need more room.
- 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.
How to carry over Outriders demo progress to the main game
If you're wondering whether you can transfer your progress from the recent Outriders demo over to the full game, the answer to that question is yes! As long as you're playing on the same console/platform where you played the demo, your progress should be carried over automatically when you boot up the full game (and you might suddenly earn some trophies/achievements at this point, too). The publishers at Square Enix have offered this official statement on their website:
"Yes, progress is transferred, as long as you are playing both main game and demo on the same platform, using the same account on your platform (i.e. the same Steam/Xbox Live/PSN account). Please note that the Epic Store and Steam version are considered two separate platforms. Progress from the Steam demo will not transfer to the Epic Store version of the full game."
And there you have it - all the info you need to get yourself set up for Outriders. We'll bring you more coverage of the game soon!
Check out our day-one Outriders review in progress for our up-to-the-minute opinions on the game.
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