Star Wars: Hunters release date confirmed - UK launch time news and pre-registration rewards
A new hive of scum and villainy arises in Star Wars: Hunters.
It's finally time - after three years of waiting, the Star Wars: Hunters release date is here.
Developed by Zynga, the company behind titles such as FarmVille 3 and Words with Friends, Hunters is an online battle game in which you "engage in thrilling third-person combat to dominate your opponents in a range of adventurous battlegrounds that evoke iconic Star Wars worlds".
The free-to-play game has been in the works for a long time now, and we're so close to its UK launch time that we can practically taste it.
Read on to find out everything there is to know about the Star Wars: Hunters release date, expected UK launch time, what platforms it's on, and to find out how to pre-register to earn some rewards (be quick now!).
Skip to the end of the page to watch the latest trailer!
When is the Star Wars: Hunters release date?
The Star Wars: Hunters release date is 4th June 2024, its development team Zynga has confirmed!
It will go live and be available to play on Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android devices from this date here in the UK and elsewhere around the world, including the USA.
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What is the Star Wars: Hunters UK launch time?
As far as we're aware, Zynga has not confirmed the official Star Wars: Hunters UK launch time, but it should (hopefully) go live at midnight on 4th June.
We cannot say for certain when the game will go live without official word from Zynga, but other Switch titles and mobile game launches have taken place at midnight on their release dates.
If not, it should be available in the morning of 4th June, and at least ready for when you're back home from school/work. Whatever the precise UK launch time is, the game will be playable on 4th June.
What are the Star Wars: Hunters pre-registration details? Rewards confirmed
The official Star Wars: Hunters website currently has a pre-registration form on its front page, and you can fill that in if you want to declare your interest in the game. You can also scan the QR code to pre-register.
Anyone who pre-registers for Star Wars: Hunters on iOS or Android will unlock a selection of rewards. The pre-register rewards are as follows:
- Ticket Invite Avatar
- Bubo's Blue Milk Avatar
- Amber Rifle
- Amber Hunter
- Raise Your Fist Emote
What's more, anyone who plays the Nintendo Switch version at launch will receive the Shift Veteran costume and Shift Blaster Wrap items for free.
Which consoles and platforms can play Star Wars: Hunters?
Three different platforms have been confirmed for Star Wars: Hunters so far - we know that it is going to launch on Nintendo Switch and mobile devices, with the iOS and Android operating systems being able to run the mobile version.
While we're talking about platforms, here's quite an exciting detail - Nintendo Switch players will be pleased to know that you will not require a Nintendo Switch Online membership to download and play Star Wars: Hunters.
There's no word yet on a wider console release for the game, so you might be waiting a while - or forever - if you were hoping to play the game on PS4, PS5, Xbox One or Xbox Series X/S.
As far as we know, Star Wars: Hunters will not be heading to those consoles anytime soon.
Is Star Wars: Hunters free to play?
Star Wars: Hunters is free to play, it has been confirmed!
This means there's no price you'll need to pay if you want to download the game and try it out.
That being said, there will surely be optional in-game purchases on offer within the game itself - like most mobile games, we'd expect Star Wars: Hunters to make most of its money via microtransactions.
What do we know about Star Wars: Hunters gameplay?
Star Wars: Hunters is a free-to-play third-person online battle arena game. It features four modes at launch: Squad Brawl, Dynamic Control, Power Control and Trophy Chase.
In Squad Brawl, the first team to reach 20 eliminations wins. In Dynamic Control, each team battles to capture rotating control points. Each team must control and hold the majority of Control Points to win Power Control. Finally, in Trophy Chase, both teams fight to hold the Trophy Droid TR0-F33.
There are five battlefields at launch: Ewok Village, Mos Espa Podrace, Dune Sea Outpost, Death Star Crossfire and Vandor Railyard.
The official website for Star Wars: Hunters offers some extra details. It tells us that the game takes place on a planet called Vespaara, "where Hunters from across the galaxy compete in The Arena".
Players will take part in what Zynga describes as "thrilling third-person combat" across a number of "grand arenas set in a range of maps that evoke iconic Star Wars worlds". It does sound a bit like Apex Legends with a Star Wars lick of paint.
Zynga goes on to describe the core gameplay experience like so: "Mix and match teams, use skill, tactics and customise your character to find a winning strategy and reap the spoils of victory in this all-new free-to-play game."
Check out its short but sweet gameplay trailer to see the game in action:
Who are the playable characters in Star Wars: Hunters?
Thirteen playable characters have been confirmed as of writing, with 12 available at launch and one that's unlockable via the Season 1 Arena Pass.
Each character is one of three class types: Damage, Tank or Support.
Here's the list of confirmed playable characters in Star Wars: Hunters (we've linked out to the official character page for each so you can see what they do):
Damage Class:
Tank Class:
Support Class:
When does Star Wars: Hunters take place in the timeline?
Star Wars: Hunters is set "after the fall of the Galactic Empire", the official Star Wars website has confirmed.
In terms of the Star Wars films timeline, this places the game between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.
At this point, the Empire has been defeated and the New Republic is trying to control the chaos in its wake.
This time period is popular at the moment - it's the same window of opportunity in which The Mandalorian, Ahsoka and The Book of Boba Fett take place on Disney Plus.
Is there a new trailer for Star Wars: Hunters?
Yes, there is a new Star Wars: Hunters trailer! Check out the fancy CG release date trailer below for a taste of what the game's about:
Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Toby Saunders is a freelance writer specialising in Video Game journalism. He has a wealth of experience in the field and is published on many different websites including PCGamesN, Nintendo Life and Pocket Tactics. He has a degree in Film Studies (he gets to write about Film and TV occasionally, too).
Joshua Lamb is a freelance writer at Radio Times Gaming, covering news and guides. He is also a games journalist and critic at The Times where he reviews the latest titles, having also previously reported on events such as Gamescom and the BAFTA Game Awards.
