Here's exactly when you can start playing Outriders

Outriders is one of this spring’s biggest video game releases, and it's launching very soon. If you’re intrigued by this new looter-shooter from Bulletstorm developer People Can Fly and publisher Square Enix (the company behind Final Fantasy and Marvel’s Avengers), and you liked what you played in the demo, you might want to try it out on day one.

The game launches on April 1, 2021, but you don’t have to wait until then to download it. This is everything we know about the release time, file size, and other launch details for Outriders.

When is the Outriders release time?

Square Enix confirmed Outriders’ launch times across PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Google Stadia on Reddit. For players on Xbox and PlayStation in North America, the game will unlock at 12 a.m. Eastern on April 1, 2021. Elsewhere in the world, the game will unlock at midnight in your specific region.

PC and Google Stadia players will have to wait a little longer to access the game, though their launch time is unified worldwide. Outriders will be available at 12 p.m. Eastern on April 1, 2021 for PC and Stadia players. Square Enix thinks this launch time will “ensure that the maximum amount of support and partner staff are on hand to deal with any launch day issues.”

What is the Outriders file size, and can you pre-load?

Outriders is a big game and has a large file size to match. On Xbox Series X, the Microsoft Store says the game has a file size of 83.3 GB. Meanwhile, the system requirements on PC say to make sure you have 70 GB of space available. While the file size does vary slightly, Outriders is a massive game on PC and next-gen consoles. Make sure you have enough hard drive space available before picking the game up.

You can pre-load Outriders on your console. Pre-load is already available for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X players who pre-order the game. There is no way to pre-load the game on PC, and Stadia does not require any pre-loading. If you install the game early, you’ll be able to play right at the release time.

Does Outriders demo progress carry over?

Yes, it does! Your story progress through the game’s first chapter, as well as any level, character progression, resource collection, and world tier progression you have made in the demo will carry over. The only catch is that you have to be within the same system family. For example, PS4 progress will transfer over to PS5, but not to Xbox Series X, PC, or Stadia.

On Reddit, People Can Fly also highlighted some of the improvements the final game will have over the demo outside of just more content. Many bugs have been fixed, weapon, enemy, and loot drop balance has gotten tweaked, crossplay is on by default, and DirectX 12 is supported on PC.

Additionally, you can “quick mark” items in your inventory, the cover system is more intuitive, the Travel Voting system is slightly improved, and the Mod descriptions now mention cooldown mechanics.

The demo is a separate download from the final game, so don’t expect an update to upgrade it at launch. Thankfully, the demo will remain live after Outriders’ release, so you can always try that out on PC or PlayStation consoles if you're not entirely sure you want the game. Xbox players have a better option, though.

Is Outriders on Xbox Game Pass at launch?

Yes, it is. Microsoft and Square Enix have confirmed that the Xbox One and Xbox Series X versions of Outriders will be on Xbox Game Pass for consoles right from April 1. As long as you have a subscription, you can just download the game without buying it if it interests you.

This is one of the first major AAA releases outside of Microsoft to come to Xbox Game Pass right at launch, so Outriders may turn out to be a crucial game in the subscription service’s history.

Outriders will be released on April 1, 2021.