Following up to one of the most successful new franchises debuted this decade, Destiny 2 is only a few hours away from hitting Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles worldwide. Building upon the strengths of the original, Destiny 2 embraces its shooter gameplay, with improved systems across the board for earning loot and online play. Furthermore, the game also promises a deeper narrative intertwined into its Story mode – a change welcomed after the criticisms of Destiny's lore so far.
As one of the biggest launches of this year, many of those eager to jump in have already laid down their preorders. By doing so, not only will you be securing additional bonus content – you'll be guaranteed access to Destiny 2 from the moment it goes live. Here are all the details on when Destiny 2 will launch in your region.
When Destiny 2 for Xbox One unlocks worldwide
For those who have preordered digital versions of Destiny 2 via the Xbox Store, the game is set for staggered release on September 6, depending on your locale. Your copy will unlock at 12 a.m. (midnight) in your region, meaning servers for those located eastward will go live earlier than western countries. However, copies in the United States will all go live at midnight Eastern Time, meaning those on the west coast can gain access up to three hours before midnight. To ensure you're able to gain access to the game as fast as possible, we recommend preloading the digital copies prior to release.
As for physical copies, these can be inserted into your console and installed once in your hands. Many major retailers are offering midnight launches in-store, but make sure to check beforehand, to ensure a late-night launch event is taking place.
Not all content will be available at launch
Once Destiny 2 has launched in your region, you'll then be able to play through the Story content, access cooperative modes and play competitive Crucible matches. However, some features are being held back for the days ahead.
- The first of these is the new cooperative raid, which has been kept mostly under wraps before launch. Various leaks have pointed toward the raid being titled "Leviathan," and facing players against some type of space-based fish creature. However, it has been confirmed that this mysterious raid will be available in its entirety at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. UK time, on September 13.
- Trials, Destiny 2's extension of its competitive Crucible mode, will also be returning shortly after launch. Similarly to the first game, this high-stakes PvP mode allows players to gain access to rare rewards. This mode will be available just over a week after launch at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. UK time, on September 15.
- Finally, one of Destiny 2's latest additions for multiplayer matchmaking, Guided Games, will be delayed until after launch. As announced at the Destiny 2 reveal event earlier this year, Guided Games allows solo players to match with smaller clans, to allow all players to explore the depth of Destiny's cooperative content. This will kick off with a "soft beta" on September 12 for a limited subset of active players, before a full-scale rollout scheduled for September 26.
Destiny 2 will be available on September 6 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, with a PC release scheduled for October 24. Are you planning to pick up Destiny 2 at launch? Let us know if you're looking forward to the game in the comments.
