Can You Play Atomic Heart Early?

Mundfish and Focus Entertainment's upcoming release, Atomic Heart, is approaching its global release for players on PC and consoles. The FPS action RPG sees you engaging in "explosive encounters," utilizing an array of weaponry and unique combat skills to destroy robots, machines, and mutants.

While pre-ordering is still available for one of the game's four editions, players have wondered if Early Access will be available or how to play the game early. We explore whether these capabilities are available and how to play Atomic Heart early.

How To Play Atomic Heart Early?

Players looking to jump into the high-octane action of Mundfish's FPS action RPG, Atomic Heart, early will be disappointed that the game has no Early Access feature. This means you'll have to wait with everyone globally for the game to be launched for your preferred platform on 21st February 2023.

However, there is a workaround that applies to those who own PlayStation and Xbox consoles, affectionately known as the "New Zealand Time Zone" trick. We caution players to proceed with this workaround if they desperately wish to play the game a few hours ahead.

This method is more straightforward on Xbox consoles; you only need to toggle the console's settings. We've detailed below how to implement this time zone trick for your Xbox console:

1. Press the Xbox button on your controller and scroll to the System tab and locate the Xbox Settings option
2. Browse the settings to find the one labeled "Language & Location."
3. Set your region/location to New Zealand and accept the change
4. Select the option to "Restart" your console for this to work

For PlayStation consoles, however, you must create a separate PSN account, as you can't change your region/location on your current account. You will also need to purchase the game using the New Zealand currency, which we've provided the steps below:

1. Navigate the taskbar and scroll until the Account option.
2. Select "Switch User" or "Log Out" before choosing the "Add User" option.
3. Within this pop-up menu, under "Add a User to this PS5", click "Get Started" and agree to the system's License Agreement to progress.
4. Then, create a new PSN account before adding your personal information, including your date of birth, a different email address, and a password.
5. Select New Zealand as your country or region, which prompts you to add additional information, such as the preferred province, city, and postal code, which can be looked up online.
6. An email will be sent to verify or confirm the creation of the PSN account before including banking or credit card details for purchases.

Remember that the game launches on 21st February 2023 at 12:01 am NZDT which means this game should be available to play as of 20th February 2023, depending on your region or location. As mentioned, you may only proceed with this method if you want to play the game early, as this doesn't work for PC.