Split Fiction release date: Launch time, preloads, and when it comes out in your time zone

New co-op adventure games seem to be few and far between these days, with less and less of them releasing as time has gone on. That doesn't mean there still aren't awesome ones to play, though, especially when Hazelight Studios — developer of 2017's A Way Out and 2021's Game of the Year-winning It Takes Two — is committed to bringing fans innovative co-op experiences. And four years after the grandiose success of It Takes Two, the studio has returned with its latest title: Split Fiction.

Excitement for Split Fiction is high, especially with the game reviewing exceptionally well with critics around the industry. We loved it, too, with my colleague Samuel Tolbert giving it a very high score of 4.5/5 stars and calling it "a triumph," a "must-play co-op game," and "a game that builds on what's come before while still finding time for new ideas" in his review.

With all that praise spurring on hype, it's hardly a surprise that many are wondering precisely when they'll be able to jump into the game on its fast-approaching release date. Luckily, ahead of that release, publisher Electronic Arts (EA) and Hazelight have revealed Split Fiction's launch times in every time zone, preloading information, and more — all of which you'll find in the sections below.

What is Split Fiction?

Split Fiction | Official Story Trailer - YouTube

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Split Fiction is a 12-15 hour two-player co-op adventure game from EA and Hazelight Studios. Like Hazelight's other cooperative games, Split Fiction features a splitscreen view that allows each player to see what the other one is doing and where, enabling creative and carefully timed teamwork maneuvers to solve puzzles or narrowly progress through intense action set pieces.

In the game, you and a partner play as Mio and Zoe — two fiction authors hoping to have their works published by a major company called the Rader Corporation. The two women are different in that they prefer different kinds of stories and write in different genres — sci-fi and fantasy — but both end up trapped together in a machine the Rader Corporation designed to steal their works.

Flung into simulated versions of the fiction worlds they themselves created, Mio and Zoe have to work together to traverse these realms, travel between them as needed, and eventually find a way to escape back to reality. As you might expect, Split Fiction's gameplay is entirely centered around cooperation and teamwork, with puzzles and other progression roadblocks driving players to find creative ways to work together. Notably, new gameplay mechanics are rapidly introduced as you push forward to keep you and your co-op partner on your toes.

At release, Split Fiction will be available on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC (via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the EA app), and PS5. Note that while it's got an MSRP of $49.99, you can pick the PC version up for a significant $10 discount thanks to a deal that brings the price down to just $40.59 at CDKeys. Also, you only need one copy of the game for two people to play thanks to Split Fiction's Friend's Pass; this Friend's Pass, along with the game itself, support cross-play or cross-platform play.

Split Fiction | $49.99 $40.59 at CDKeys (Steam, PC)

Hazelight is following up its work on It Takes Two with Split Fiction, a game following two aspiring writers that have to grapple with and survive going through the fantasy and sci-fi worlds they've dreamed of.

Also at: Amazon | Best Buy | Xbox

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Split Fiction release date and launch times

It's been a long four years since Hazelight last delighted players with It Takes Two, but thankfully, Split Fiction is now just a few days away. Specifically, the game is scheduled to release on March 6, 2025. Assuming everything goes according to EA and Hazelight's plans, it will become available to play at its launch time of 8:00 a.m. PST / 11:00 a.m. EST globally.

Something to keep in mind is that since Split Fiction will unlock at the same time worldwide, the time of day it launches at will differ depending on what time zone you're in. Fans in a handful of eastern regions will even have to wait until the early hours of March 7 to dive in, though in most countries the game comes out on March 6.

For a complete overview of when Split Fiction is scheduled to become available in your time zone, refer to either the graphic above or the table below that displays everything you need to know.

Split Fiction launch countdown

This countdown clock is set to tick down until the arrival of Split Fiction's global release, giving you an easy way to check how much longer you have to wait before playing.

When can you preload Split Fiction?

As game file sizes have swollen over the years, preloading has become an increasingly valuable feature for anyone that wants to play new games on day one. By preloading a game, you can download and install it before it unlocks, ensuring you don't have to spend time doing so on launch day (unless there's a day one patch). Preloading is a nifty feature for all players, but it's especially valuable for people who have slow internet.

Not every new title supports preloading, but luckily, Split Fiction does — and you can preload the game right now on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and PS5. As long as you've preordered your copy of the genre-bending co-op adventure, you can now kick off your download and installation ahead of this week's launch.

Split Fiction download size: How big is it?

Split Fiction is far from the largest game out there — larger, more expansive AAA experiences easily break 100GB, these days — but it's still pretty big for a 15-hour adventure title. You'll need 85GB of free space on your hard drive to install Split Fiction, so be sure to have a look at your storage and make room if needed.

One silver lining here is that having an SSD isn't a listed requirement, so you can get away with using an older hard-disk drive if you still use one of those in your PC. Still, installing the game on an SSD would be far better since you'll enjoy much faster loading times, so I'd do that if you're able.

Don't have enough room for Split Fiction on your hard drive? Simply uninstalling games you're not playing right now is one way to make space, as is deleting files you don't need. Alternatively, you could also look into getting one of the best SSDs to expand the storage in your system.

Split Fiction will likely stand out as one of the best Xbox games and best PC gamesto play this year if you're after a memorable co-op experience. It's coming to Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the EA app, and PS5.