What you need to know
- The Day Before is one of the most wishlisted games on Steam, despite its troubled path to actually becoming a thing people can play.
- It finally launches today, December 7, albeit in early access on Steam and won't be available on console for the foreseeable future.
- Despite being an early access title, you'll still have to hand over $39 to play.
It's no longer The Day Before, it's today. The long awaited early access release of Fntastic's MMO Zombie survival title is finally upon us.
A couple of quick pointers before we get into it. It's supposed to cost $39 in early access, but that price will increase when the full release happens. There's also no console version during this period, so sorry Xbox players. Fntastic is still planning to support current-gen consoles, but not until the game is finished.
When can you play The Day Before?
The early access launch of The Day Before is scheduled for 10 a.m. Pacific which translates to 1 p.m. on the East Coast and 6 p.m. for those in the UK.
You cannot currently preload or pre-purchase the game, so everyone will have to do it at the same time.
The Day Before Early Access Q&A
The Day Before being an early access title is no massive shock. Most of us are still surprised it got here at all. But despite legal troubles over its name, claims that the developer ripped off the logo, and assets from other games, all systems are go.
Being an early access title, though, naturally it isn't finished, and gamers may have questions. Fntastic has answered some of the big ones on the Steam listing, but I've picked out a couple of the main ones below.
Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?
“We are hoping to be in early access for around 6-8 months, but this could change. The full version will be released when we are confident that it represents the best version of the game possible.”
What is the current state of the Early Access version?
“The game is playable in multiplayer, allowing players to fully immerse themselves in a post-apocalyptic open-world MMO survival set in the present day on the US East Coast following a deadly pandemic.
Players can explore the beautifully detailed New Fortune City and its surroundings, fight each other using realistic weapons, complete quests, build their own houses, buy cars, experience day/night changes, and face deadly infected.
We have implemented everything we wanted for the game, based on our vision of a post-pandemic survival experience.”
I really hope The Day Before is a good game
I honestly didn't believe through everything that this day would come. I've been itching to play The Day Before since I first saw it, mostly because it gave off a similar vibe to The Division 2, a game which I absolutely adore.
So I'm ready to put the past in the past. The hurdles have apparently been overcome and while I'm still a little hesitant, I'm excited to play. I want this game to be good.
So I'm ready to reset, leave the controversy and the checkered past of its developer behind and see what it's all about. The PC system requirements aren't particularly demanding, so there's certainly a low barrier to entry. Apparently you can play it with a GTX 1060, which is certainly refreshing to see amid a raft of super-demanding games that can make even an RTX 40-series graphics card blush.
However, nobody outside of Fntastic and its "volunteers" has any idea what they're walking into. So if you're a little nervous to lay down $39 right now, I'd definitely recommend hitting up Twitch before pulling the trigger. There's bound to be plenty of streamers playing, so don't be afraid to go watch them first. It's the closest you'll get to knowing what to expect. We haven't seen it yet on the site, so even as ready to play as I am, I'm probably going to do the same.
