New World release time, preload, download size, and launch details

Amazon’s ambitious MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) New World is on the precipice of a full global launch following a successful late-summer beta. But when exactly can players set sail for the mysterious island of Aeternum to explore its many fantastical legends? Here’s everything you need to know about the New World release, from download size to the launch time in your area.

When is the New World release time?

New World is launching on September 28, but it will not be a simultaneous global launch. Instead, the game will go live at or around 8 a.m. in most areas. Australia, however, is an interesting exception given its time zone. Here’s a straightforward image showing the server launch times in most areas, from a blog post about the game’s launch:

• 8 a.m. CEST (9/28 at 2 a.m. Eastern) — EU Servers will launch
• 8 a.m. BRT (9/28 7 a.m. Eastern) — South American Servers will launch
• 9 p.m. AEST (9/28 7 a.m. Eastern) — Australian Servers will launch
• 8 a.m. Eastern — NA East Coast Server will launch
• 8 a.m. Pacific — West Coast Servers will launch

The Australian launch time is a bit of an oddball here. “We’ve decided to open our Australian server at a time that aligns with the larger global roll-out,” Amazon writes in its blog post. For the most part, the rollout is staggered, but Australia is the one major exception.

What are the New World launch servers?

Like most MMORPGs, New World requires that a player create their character(s) on a specific server, typically from the same general geographic area. The official New World launch details blog post lists out the many launch servers from around the world

So if you’re in the United States, you’ll want to select one of the following servers:

US WEST

• Camelot
• Kshira Sagara
• Linnunrata
• Mulitefao
• Ptolemais
• Celadon
• Neno Kuni
• Uku Pacha
• El Dorado
• Nidavellir
• Vourukasha
• Aukumea
• Mag Mell
• Plancta
• Riallaro
• Kronomo
• Ferri
• Sarragalla
• Theleme
• Tlillan-Tlapallan
• Yggdrasil
• Lilliput - Recommended Language: Spanish & English

US EAST

• Themiscyra
• Cantahar
• Aztlan
• Yaxche
• Topan
• Valhalla
• Xibalba
• Morrow
• Locuta
• Krocylea
• Adlivun
• Minda
• Loloi
• Kay Pacha
• Frislandia
• Calnogor
• Mictlan
• Ensipe
• Dominora
• Pyrallis
• Eden
• Maramma
• Ute-Yomigo
• Sitara
• Silha - Recommended Language: Spanish & English
• Scheria
• Oceana
• Duguang
• Falias
• Moriai
• Ruach
• Heliopolis
• Tritonis
• Norumbega
• Ys
• Royllo
• Ogygia
• Tlalocan
• Zuvendis
• Atvatabar
• Pleroma
• Vingolf
• Pahruli
• Nunne Chaha
• Valgrind
• Orun
• Takamagahara
• Aarnivalkea
• Orofena
• Olympus

For everyone else around the world, refer to the launch details blog post to find a server suited to your region.

Is there a New World pre-load?

Yes. As of this writing, New World’s pre-load is live (it began at 11 a.m. Eastern on September 27), which means that anybody who pre-ordered the game from Amazon or Steam can already download it.

To do so, you simply have to log in to Steam and click “Activate a Product on Steam” to redeem the code you should have received already from Amazon. Then, New World should appear in your library available for download.

What is the New World download size?

The Steam page for New World suggests you have 50 GB of available space for the game to download. The final official size will likely be somewhere around that number.

What are the New World PC requirements?

The New World official FAQ lists bost the minimum and recommended specs for playing the game on PC:

Minimum:

• CPU – Intel® Core™ i5-2400K, AMD CPU w/ 4 physical cores @ 3Ghz
• GPU – NVIDIA® GTX 670 2GB, AMD Radeon™ R9 280
• Mem – 8GB RAM
• Disk – 7200 HDD
• OS – Windows® 10 64-bit, DirectX 12
• Storage – 50 GB available space

Recommended:

• CPU – Intel® Core™ i7-2600K, AMD Ryzen™ 5 1400
• GPU – NVIDIA® GTX 970, AMD Radeon™ R9 390X
• Mem – 16GB RAM
• Disk – SSD
• OS – Windows®10 64-bit, DirectX 12
• Storage – 50 GB available space

When is the New World console release date?

Like World of Warcraft long before it, New World will seemingly forever remain a PC-only experience. The game’s official Twitter account reiterated back in July 2021 that “there are no future plans to make New World available on console,” adding that “it will only be available on PC.”

For now, that is definitely the cast, but depending on the game’s popularity, it’s always possible that a console port could happen at some point in the future. Other MMOs like Elder Scrolls Online and Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn thrive on consoles, and New World might one day as well. For now, it’s a pipe dream.

Is New World on Xbox Game Pass?

We already know that New World probably won’t be coming to Xbox consoles at all given the dev team’s commitment to PC only, but what about Xbox Game Pass for PC?

Anybody hoping for New World on Xbox Game Pass will be disappointed. As of right now, there aren’t any plans for any sort of Xbox release. The service does have a history of hosting MMO games like Fallout 76 and Elder Scrolls Online, and current-gen hardware should be more than capable of handling New World. Despite all that, porting a game to new platforms is never an easy feat. For the time being, expect New World to stay on PC only — and perhaps forever.

New World will be released on PC via Steam on September 28, 2021.