Pre-order News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Red Hook Studios has today confirmed Darkest Dungeon 2 will be releasing for PS5 and PS4 on 15th July 2024. Its DLC, The Binding Blade, is also being ported across to Sony systems, though you'll need to buy it on top of the base game. A discount is being offered to PS Plus members, and there'll also be an Oblivion Bundle containing all content available to pre-order. Check out the announcement trailer above.

It's been over four years since we last covered the Gothic Remake. As you might remember, it all began with the so-called Playable Teaser that appeared suddenly on Steam in December 2019.

Popular life/farming sim Slime Rancher has had a sequel in the works for a long time, but it's now nearly ready to make the leap to PS5. Slime Rancher 2 has been in early access on PC and Xbox since 2022, and it'll soon add PS5 to the party when it arrives on 11th June, 2024.

Two years on from Elden Ring taking over the gaming world, its hype train is starting to pick up pace again. That's because the Game of the Year's highly-anticpated Shadow of the Erdtree DLC is launching this summer, and if its epic reveal trailer is anything to go by, not only is the expansion going to be something truly special, but it will add almost an entire game's worth of content to The Lands Between. FromSoftware and Bandai Namco are naturally doing all they can to build on Elden Ring's renewed momentum, including selling us game-accurate replicas of Malenia's arm.

If you've pre-ordered the Premium Edition for Sea of Thieves off the PS Store, your seafaring quest can now begin on PS5 via five days of early access ahead of the official release date. Making its first appearance on Sony hardware, Rare brought its servers online for PS5 players, allowing them to get started on plundering islands and sailing the seas. This means PlayStation users can play the last few days of Season 11, before the next one starts on the official release date of 30th April 2024.

Invincible's second season has wrapped and if you're not all caught up on what Atom Eve and the cast have been up to, don't panic, you'll find no spoilers here. You might find a few spoilers for plot points from season one though but since the first season ended almost three years ago, and you've clicked on an article based on a key moment from its finale, I'm assuming that won't be a problem. The brutal train scene from season one's epic finale has been turned into a Youtooz figure you can pre-order now.

PC giant Valve has come up with a new term for when consumers can play a game ahead of its release because they pre-ordered.

After a three-year gap, the longest ever between a new game or a spinoff, Persona fans have had a busy six months or so. Persona 5 Tactica launched at the end of 2023, and Persona 3 Reload followed it to kick off 2024. Big games that will consume a lot of your time if you let them releasing very close together, and if you're the kind of Persona fan who is absolutely fine with that, you're likely also the kind of fans who likes their love for the series to be reflected in what they wear.

Manor Lords brings its in-depth medieval city-building to early access in just two days, so publisher Hooded Horse took the time to explain why it hasn’t announced pricing information yet.

The success of the Nintendo Switch has clearly inspired the rest of the major players in the video game world to give handheld gaming another try, or in some cases a first try. The Steam Deck has been a hit, and there are rumors that Xbox might be dipping its toe into the handheld gaming world in the future. PlayStation went a different route despite having previous when it comes to handheld consoles by releasing the Portal, and it has been more popular than anyone could have imagined.

Excitement is mounting in the gaming community as Rockstar Games prepares to unveil GTA 6. The burning questions on everyone's lips: How much will it cost, and when can we pre-order? After more than ten years of speculation, Rockstar Games finally lifted the curtain on GTA 6 in early December. The game promises an unparalleled gaming experience, touted as the largest and most immersive entry in the series.

The latest addition to the Pokémon Center’s lineup of plush pocket monsters is unreasonably large and expensive. This massive Slowpoke weighs in at a little over 17 pounds, is 26-inches tall and 59-inches long, which is pretty close to the real deal. This Pokémon Center-exclusive doesn’t ship until November, but if you’ve got the room to accommodate this life-size plush, you can currently pre-order one for $450.

Atlus has announced that its next game, Metaphor: ReFantazio, will launch on October 11 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. 

 The buzz surrounding the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max is already reaching fever pitch in anticipation of their 2024 debut, despite the recent release of the iPhone 15 line just months ago. While the official unveiling is still some time away, speculation about the iPhone 16 series is rife, offering glimpses into what Apple may have in store for its next-generation smartphones.

It hasn't been a great week for Paradox Interactive, and things just got a little worse for the publisher. It has announced another delay for Prison Architect 2, the sequel to a cult hit from 2015. The game had been set to drop on May 7 (which was already a delay from March 26) but now it won't arrive until September 3.

Be one of the 20 in EA Sports F1 24, the official game of the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship, arriving earlier than previous seasons for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on May 31.Through the introduction of the new EA Sports Dynamic Handling, players will feel even closer to the action. Additionally, for the first time, join the grid in Career mode as a driver from the 2024 F1 season.

2020's Hades was game of the year for so many, and it's clear why.

If you’re anything like us, you spend more time at your desk than pretty much anywhere else. 

Following a two-month delay, Homeworld 3 is ready to launch on May 13, but you can play the game three days early with its epic Collector’s Edition. The Collector’s Edition has been available to pre-order for some time, and we recently got a detailed look at the minis and other items featured in its $174.99 release, which you can currently pre-order from Amazon, Target, and GameStop.

The WoW The War Within Physical Collector's edition is now available for pre-order on the Blizzard gear store for $180 USD. The Physical Collector's Edition comes with a trove of collectibles including an iconic Gryphon Rider statue, Commemorative Pin featuring Anduin, Alleria, and Thrall, and Hardcover Art Book. Pre-Order The War Within Physical Collector's Edition According to the Blizzard Gear Store: 'This is a pre-order product and is not available to ship until December 2024.'

Black Myth Wukong, the upcoming action RPG from Chinese developer Game Science, has received a PlayStation Store page.

The lineup of Lego Star Wars sets for May 4 (e.g. Star Wars Day) has been revealed, and it includes kits I have waited years to get my hands on.

It’s not often that a sequel really impresses us, but Dune: Part Two is one of our favorite movies of 2024. While there’s still ample opportunity to see this sci-fi blockbuster on the big screen (in fact, IMAX will extend Dune: Part Two showings starting this week), anyone who would prefer to see the second installment of the Dune saga at home can now purchase the movie digitally.

Ubisoft confirms that buying the expensive Star Wars Outlaws special editions will not be the only way to experience Jabba the Hutt missions in the upcoming game. 

I pre-ordered the Stardew Valley board game immediately after it was announced. One of my favorite video games in board game form? Sign me up.

Believe it or not, it has been over a decade since the last GTA game. While tons of people are still dumping hundreds of hours into GTA Online, everyone has been (not so) patiently waiting for Rockstar to finally confirm that a new entry is in the works. Despite many leaks and rumors, the team held strong until late 2023. Now that the game is finally confirmed, we have a lot more solid ground to cover in terms of what Grand Theft Auto 6 will be. This is going to be the biggest game of the generation, if not all time, so let’s hotwire a car and pull off a heist to get all the information about GTA 6 there is.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin was one of the biggest comics of the last few years and a huge hit for IDW. Sequel series The Last Ronin II - Re-Evolution started publishing in March and got off to a flying start - IDW has stated that 140,000 copies of the debut issue have been ordered to date, with a second printing on the way. 

Penguin Random House is publishing an official coloring book based on the Max series House of the Dragon. If you’re a fan of the show and want to engage in some meditative coloring ahead of the second season, you can pre-order the $18.99 book from Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Barnes & Noble ahead of its May 7 launch.

Pac-Man fans have been eating dots and chomping ghosts for years and there’s no sign that our collective appetites will be satiated any time soon.

Star Wars Outlaws players will need to have an online connection to install the physical version of the game.

US Standard EditionPS5 — $69.99 at Best Buy| XSX — $69.99 at Best Buy

Star Wars Outlaws, the open-world adventure from Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment, launches Aug. 30 for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Players will take on the role of smuggler Kay Vess as they attempt to seek their fortune across a variety of new and classic locations in the Star Wars universe.

The Star Wars Outlaws release date has been announced, confirming a summer excursion to a galaxy far, far away - for real, this time.

Ubisoft has announced that Star Wars Outlaws will launch on August 30, 2024 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

As we had correctly surmised, the Star Wars Outlaws story trailer also brought the release date announcement. The game is indeed launching sooner than originally thought (Disney had previously hinted at late 2024), being slated for August 30; however, that's also a bit later than some fans were hoping for, as some had even speculated the game could have launched on May the 4th.

Star Wars Outlaws is launching on August 30, 2024. This was just leaked by the YouTube description of the game's unreleased trailer, which mentions the previously unknown release date.

Even though Nintendo hasn't confirmed it will be releasing the Switch's successor in 2025, the somewhat sparse year it's having right now in terms of releases is evidence that's probably the case. Most of Nintendo's biggest first-party titles releasing this year are remasters and remakes, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door's remake coming in May, and then a Luigi's Mansion 2 remaster in June. However, if you've placed pre-orders for either of those games on Amazon, you might want to check they're still in place.

After spending over five years as a PC and Xbox exclusive, Microsoft recently announced that Rare’s well-liked online pirate game Sea of Thieves is setting sail to PlayStation 5 (along with a handful of other previously-exclusive titles). The game arrives in Sony’s harbours later this month, but those who want to try the game out early on PS5 will be able to jump into the game’s open beta this week!

We’re all awaiting the full release of Frostpunk 2 to give us some chills during the heat of the summer, but you don’t have to wait until July to go back to the Frostlands. Developer 11 Bit Studios is hosting a beta period where players can experience some of the game much earlier. This isn’t a regular open beta where anyone is free to download it and play with no restrictions. There is one big catch to gaining access, and even then, it is only available for a very limited time. Here’s what you need to know about the Frostpunk 2 beta and how to join it.

The Rock hit pause on his acting career a few months ago so he could return to WWE. Not only the company that made him famous, but one where he is now a part of its board of directors. Quickly discovering fans didn't want Rock disrupting Cody Rhodes on the way to finishing his story, The People's Champ pivoted, siding with his cousin Roman Reigns to become a heel and labeling himself The Final Boss in the process. Now the latest version of The Rock has been turned into a Funko Pop!

Marketing for Star Wars Outlaws is about to kick off in a big way, with the world premiere story trailer slated to air on Tuesday, April 9 at 9 AM Pacific Time/noon Eastern Time/6 PM Central European Time.

Frostpunk 2 is set to bring a frigid blast of survival-based city building in July, but if you want to get chilly in spring, you'll be able to play the game very soon thanks to a seven-day beta starting April 15.

Insert Coin teased a collaboration with CD Projekt Red last month and followed up on that by releasing a line of merch dedicated to The Witcher. Part two of the collab promised a Cyberpunk 2077 range, and that range is now live and available to buy. Insert Coin's Cyberpunk merch includes hoodies, t-shirts, and enamel pins, and you can check it all out, and place your pre-orders, below.

Pokemon has a deal with Mattel that means you can't build the likes of Pikachu and Charizard out of Lego, at least not officially. That's because you can build them out of Mega, Lego's toy brick rival. Several Pokemon and iconic locations from the games and the anime have been turned into Mega sets, and the next one coming to Pokemon's Mega collections might be its most elaborate to date. An Eevee made up of almost 1,400 pieces that actually moves.

It's hard to overstate how eagerly Hollow Knight fans have been awaiting its sequel, Silksong, five years after it was initially announced. And now, they got a little bit of hope, in the form of an Xbox Store page.

It’s been a huge 12 months for Final Fantasy, and Square Enix is seemingly just getting warmed up. Following on from the reveal of Final Fantasy 16 add-on The Rising Tide earlier this weekend, the publisher has now confirmed MMO expansion Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail will deploy on 2nd July. This all follows the release of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth last month, of course.

Good Smile’s Figma is taking pre-orders for its multitalented action figured based on Link from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for the Nintendo Switch. This 5.9-inch “Link DX” figure costs $115.99 at the Good Smile U.S. shop and won’t be out until March 2025, but it should be worth the wait — and the money. Other retailers are accepting pre-orders, but at a higher cost, in case Good Smile sells through its pre-order supply.

The Last Of Us continues to leave such a mark on the video game industry, it's hard to imagine a time when it wasn't around. The original version of the first game was released in June 2013, celebrating its tenth-anniversary last summer. To celebrate ten years of The Last Of Us, Naughty Dog is releasing a tenth-anniversary vinyl featuring all of the music from the first game. Releasing shortly after the original game turns 11, you can pre-order your copy of the limited edition OST now.

The Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth hype continues. Even the excitement surrounding the release of Dragon's Dogma 2 hasn't slowed it down all that much, and since there is so much to do in Rebirth, many of us are still slowly making our way across the grasslands, through Costa Del Sol, and beyond. Whether you're still on your journey or you're done, if you love Final Fantasy 7, you likely want more. The wait for the next game will be a long one, but the wait for Cloud's mini static figure is already over.

We're celebrating Like A Dragon and Yakuza here at TheGamer all week long via features about the series and interviews with people involved in its creation and development. We're also putting more Like A Dragon merch on your radar than usual to mark the occasion, and there's no better Yakuza merch on the market than a figure that depicts Kiryu Kazama ready and waiting for battle, shirt off with his iconic tattoo exposed for all to see.

Three years after the launch of the PS5, PlayStation released the PlayStation Portal. A handheld device you pair with your PS5 so you can play games remotely, provided you have a stable WiFi connection, your PS5 is turned on, and it isn't being used for something else. Those limitations resulted in a lot of people slating the Portal when it was revealed. However, the inability to find them since then has confirmed a lot more people are into it.

With more people than ever currently on the Final Fantasy 14 hype train, it makes sense that millions flocked to the Square Enix website in an attempt to get their Dawntrail pre-orders locked in and ready for the expansion's July 2 release. Unfortunately, those of you who have prior history with the Square Enix website probably knew things weren't going to be that simple, and right on cue, pre-orders for Dawntrail have been an absolute mess.

If you missed out on last week's pre-order deal for Princess Peach Showtime! from QVC, you’re in luck. For a limited time, you can save $10 on the new Nintendo Switch platformer at Woot, discounting its usual $60 price to $49.99.

The eagerly-awaited sequel to Capcom's Dragon's Dogma was the second best-selling title on Steam in its first week on sale.

Final Fantasy XIV Dawntrail will release on July 2nd, Square Enix has confirmed. Dawntrail will release with new story content, the two new viper and pictomancer jobs, new dungeons, new encouters, and the level cap increase to 100. Pre-order and collector’s edition details have been confirmed too.

Blizzard has just released new artisanal keyboard caps in the style of Alliance and Horde treasure chests, now available for pre-order in the official store! Made by Clackeys, these hand-cast hand-painted resin caps are cherry MX switch clones measuring 18mm x 16mm, available for $60 each and expected to ship in May 2024. Alliance Chest KeycapsHorde Chest Keycaps*Please note that these store links use our affiliate codes, which direct a small portion of proceeds from any purchase to help support Wowhead, at no extra charge.

It's a busy spell for fans of Final Fantasy, and fantasy RPGs in general. Many folks are still working through Baldur's Gate 3 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but Dragon's Dogma 2 just dropped and Elden Ring expansion Shadow of the Erdtree arrives in June. The second Final Fantasy XVI DLC, The Rising Tide, will drop on April 18. On top of all that, Square Enix has revealed that Dawntrail, the fifth expansion for Final Fantasy XIV Online, will arrive on July 2. Phew.

Final Fantasy 14 director and producer Naoki ‘Yoshi-P’ Yoshida has revealed the Dawntrail expansion release date — and joked he’s giving Elden Ring fans one week to play the Shadow of the Erdtree DLC before jumping back into the fantasy MMO.

Three weeks on from its release, the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth train rolls on. That'll happen with a game that has so much to do alongside an already compelling story. Reviews and reactions to Rebirth have shown it's hard to pick holes in the early Game of the Year contender as almost every aspect of the sequel has been celebrated. That includes Rebirth's soundtrack, and if you were hoping to pick up a Collector's Edition of the OST, Amazon has provided a second chance.

Final Fantasy 14 Online's Dawntrailexpansion finally has a release date, and it'll be welcome news for those looking forward to a certain highly-anticipated From Software DLC.

Yesterday, Square Enix announced the final release date for Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail, the latest expansion coming to its popular MMORPG. Dawntrail will go live on July 2 on all platforms. Funnily enough, Game Director Naoki Yoshida said it could have launched sooner, but they wanted to give players (and themselves) a bit more space to play Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, which launches on June 21.

Peripheral manufacturer PDP revealed its upcoming Riffmaster Wireless Guitar Controller in February, and it's a pretty slick piece of kit. Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised to see it comes with a fairly hefty price tag: £100, $130, or your local equivalent. Pre-orders for the undeniably appealing plastic instrument are now live, and it will begin taking up space in your living room sometime in April.

SEGA is really embracing its history these days, and it’s resulted in ongoing development of several nostalgic franchises, like Jet Set Radio and Crazy Taxi. But it’s also commissioning some cool merchandise collaborations, and you’ll probably want to add this Axel from Streets of Rage to your wishlist.

Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance was previously locked in for release on the 21st June, but for whatever reason, it's now launching one week earlier, on the 14th June. Atlus has confirmed the new date via its social media accounts, and states that any current pre-orders should now be fulfilled on the updated schedule.

If you want to play Rock Band 4 on consoles, it hasn’t been easy or affordable to pick up a new guitar controller. It’s common to find second-hand (ew) guitar controllers selling for $500 or so. That’s changing, thankfully, with the launch of PDP’s Riffmaster. It’s a $129.99 wireless guitar controller that’s coming to shelves in April for both PlayStation and Xbox consoles (either guitar is compatible with PC, to boot, and ships with a USB-A wireless transceiver). Its design accommodates right- and left-handed players.

Amiibo collectors are in limbo right now as the future of Nintendo's interactive figures hasn't been revealed. Sora's Smash Ultimate amiibo was released last month and it seems likely that will be the last one we get during the Switch era. Not only because Nintendo seems set to announce its next console any day now, but also because it has been reprinting various older amiibo, giving collectors a second chance to grab them.

Larian Studios announced a physical version of Baldur's Gate 3 was coming in Q1 2024 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. A Deluxe Edition of the game that not only puts 2023's Game of the Year on discs but comes with a lot of extra stuff including a physical version of the game's fantastic soundtrack. If you want a physical version of that OST but don't want to buy the Deluxe Edition of the game, a triple vinyl version is now available for pre-order.

Four years after its original announcement, developer MidBoss has revealed the sequel to 2064: Read Only Memories, titled Read Only Memories: NEURODIVER, will finally launch for PS5 on 16th May 2024. It will cost £12.79 / $14.99 and releases predominantly as a digital title on the PS Store, though a physical version is available for pre-order at Serenity Forge. While a PS4 version had been confirmed previously, it's mentioned nowhere in today's press assets, so it's likely been cancelled.

Helldivers 2 has become big enough to earn its own clothing range on Insert Coin, with a variety of t-shirts, hoodies, and pins up for pre-order now. The items are set to ship in late May, by which point the tides of the in-game galactic warfare could have turned. There are two t-shirts — one bearing the Helldivers logo and another representing Super Earth — one hoodie, and a Super Earth pin available.

It’s not the biggest Pikachu plush ever made, but it is big! At 26 inches, or just over two feet, The Pokémon Company’s new big Pikachu plush is available for pre-order on The Pokémon Center website. The $199.99 plush toy is expected to ship in September 2024, according to the product page.

Following a number of rumors and an eventual leak, Lego has revealed its first collaboration with Dungeons & Dragons: a new set inspired by the classic tabletop game, just in time for its 50th anniversary. Officially titled the Lego Ideas Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale, Lego Insiders can pre-order the $359.99 set starting April 1 exclusively from the Lego Store, while everyone else can roll for initiative beginning April 4. Pre-orders placed before April 7 will also receive a complementary Lego Dungeons & Dragons Mimic Dice Box.

It took more than usual to really make a mark in the video game world in 2023 due to the sheer volume of huge titles released. If you wanted to stand out among the Tears of the Kingdoms and Baldur's Gate 3s, you needed to be something pretty special, and of course, Spider-Man 2 was that. A sequel to the PS4's best-selling game, some of its leading heroes and villains have now been turned into Funko Pops.

Break out your hot pink Joy-Con because Princess Peach Showtime! is almost here. If you’re as excited as we are to play as the royal lady of House Toadstool in her very own platformer, you can currently save $20 on Princess Peach Showtime!.. First-time QVC customers can use the code WELCOME20 at checkout, discounting the price to just $39.99 before tax and shipping.

The next game from Team Ninja is very nearly here as we rush towards the Rise of the Ronin release date.

Pokémon’s new TCG set, Scarlet and Violet — Twilight Masquerade, is bringing Ogerpon to the card game on May 24. While pre-release events for this set start on May 11, avid collectors will likely want to pre-order it early.

It's time to saddle up, partner, because Magic: The Gathering is headed to the Wild West with its latest set, Outlaws of Thunder Junction, launching on April 19. This set draws inspiration from the romantic ideals of the American Wild West, chock full of gunslingers, masked bandits, and vigilante justice. As its name suggests, the theme of Outlaws of Thunder Junction centers around a group of villains planning a heist, using a clever mash-up of Western tropes and arcane magic.

It was only a matter of time until Helldivers 2jumped off the screen and into reality. As a reflection of the game’s runaway success on PS5 and Steam, PlayStation has unveiled a lineup of merchandise made by Ripple Junction, including shirts, hats, coffee mugs, keychains — the whole deal. It’s full of cheeky game references, letting you wear the button combo to execute an Orbital Precision Strike strategem, or wear select quotes of Super Earth propaganda that your character is usually screaming as you annihilate bugs or robots.

The villains of a galaxy far, far away are just as iconic as its heroes, and it seems like the folks over at Ravensburger agree with the latest expansion to Star Wars Villainous. 

The Nintendo Switch is nearing the end of its lifecycle, but there are still a few loose ends to tie up before we find out what Nintendo has in store for us next. Princess Peach Showtime next week, a Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door remake in May, and then a Luigi's Mansion 2 remaster in June. Pre-orders for that last one are now open, revealing that Luigi fans will have a second chance to get their hands on a diorama that money previously couldn't buy.