The release timestamp attached to AION 2's Steam listing currently points to 13:00 UTC on Monday, October 5. That would put the global free-to-play release at 6:00 AM on the US West Coast, 9:00 AM on the East Coast, 2:00 PM in the UK and 3:00 PM CEST across much of Central Europe. Japan would get the game at 10:00 PM local time. ([aion2hub.com](https://aion2hub.com/news/aion-2-launch-time-october-5))
There is, however, one very important distinction: NC has not officially announced the launch hour yet.
Steam's public store page confirms October 5 and currently shows AION 2 as “Coming Oct 5, 2026,” but the actual 13:00 UTC timestamp comes from Steam's underlying release data rather than a separate announcement from NC. ([store.steampowered.com](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3393110/AION_2/))
What Time Could AION 2 Launch?
If the current Steam timestamp remains unchanged, AION 2 would unlock at:
- US West Coast: 6:00 AM PDT
- US East Coast: 9:00 AM EDT
- Brazil: 10:00 AM BRT
- United Kingdom: 2:00 PM BST
- Central Europe: 3:00 PM CEST
- Eastern Europe: 4:00 PM EEST
- Japan: 10:00 PM JST
For Denmark, Germany, France and most of Central Europe, that would mean 15:00 on October 5.
The timing also makes reasonable operational sense for a global MMO release. It places North America in the morning, Europe in the afternoon and Japan in the evening, giving NC a launch window where its major global regions can all enter during normal waking hours.
Reasonable does not mean confirmed, though.
Why We Should Not Set an Alarm Quite Yet
Steam timestamps can change before release. Publishers sometimes use preliminary values while final server schedules, maintenance periods and launch operations are still being decided.
There is also an important difference between Steam unlocking the game client and NC opening the AION 2 servers. The two may happen at exactly the same moment, but NC has not yet said that they will.
A launch-day maintenance window has not been announced either.
So while 13:00 UTC is currently the most precise launch time available anywhere, we would not recommend arranging annual leave, childcare and an emergency supply of coffee around it just yet.
The date is official. The hour is still effectively provisional.
Advanced Access Still Has No Confirmed Start Time
The bigger mystery concerns September 30.
All three AION 2 Founder's Packs include five days of Advanced Access, and Steam clearly states that Advanced Access begins September 30. But there is currently no official start hour attached to it. ([store.steampowered.com](https://store.steampowered.com/app/3393110/AION_2/))
That means we should not automatically assume Advanced Access also starts at 13:00 UTC.
It might. It would certainly be tidy. But NC has not said so.
We already covered the wider release schedule in our AION 2 global release date guide, while players still deciding whether to enter five days early can also see our breakdown of the differences between playing through Steam and PURPLE.
The September 30 Start May Be More Important Than October 5
For Founder's Pack players, September 30 is effectively launch day.
Those characters are permanent, progression carries forward and the Special Quai Membership systems become relevant in a way they never did during the temporary Launch Scale Test.
NC has also confirmed that Advanced Access uses its own initial server wave before additional launch servers become available on October 5, so knowing the exact September 30 start time will matter to anyone coordinating guilds, friends and server selection.
After seeing 73,761 concurrent Steam players during the Launch Scale Test, it is not unreasonable to expect a fairly busy opening period.
And unlike the test, nobody will be casually deleting these characters six hours later.
13:00 UTC Is Our Best Estimate, Not Yet an Official Announcement
For now, the launch calendar looks like this:
- September 30: Founder's Pack Advanced Access begins, time not yet announced
- October 1 to October 4: Advanced Access continues
- October 5: Full free-to-play global launch
- 13:00 UTC on October 5: Current Steam release timestamp
NC's latest post-test communication still lists only “Advanced Access September 30 to October 4” and “Official Launch October 5,” with no clock time attached. ([steamcommunity.com](https://steamcommunity.com/app/3393110))
That makes the Steam timestamp useful, but not final.
If nothing changes, most European players could be entering AION 2 at 15:00 CEST on October 5.
Now we just need NC to say it out loud.
0 kommentarer:
Post a Comment