Konami’s surprising decision to change Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain’s release date means that us PC folk will be able to play the game at the same time as our console chums, on September 1st, but you won’t be able to jump in the moment it unlocks.
While preloading is becoming increasingly common on Steam, Metal Gear Solid won’t be available for download until it actually releases.
Community manager Robert Allen Peeler clarified exactly when you’ll be able to start downloading it on the day of launch in a series of tweets earlier today.
Anyone who has pre-purchased the game will be able to download it when it unlocks at midnight New Zealand time. That means, if you pre-purchase and you’ve got a good internet connection, you might even be able to play the day before launch, since New Zealand exists in the future where they have cyborg sheep and stuff.
Everyone else will have to wait until it launches in their respective time zones.
Really, though, it’s not particularly devastating news. Even if your internet connection is terrible and you’ll be downloading it for a couple of days, you’ll still be getting your hands on it almost a fortnight before the original release date.