Sea of Thieves PS5 release time, pre-load and how to get early access
Sea of Thieves makes the jump from Xbox to PlayStation this week, but only if you've pre-ordered a certain version of the game.
After months of speculation, Microsoft recently confirmed plans to bring some of its first-party Xbox games to other platforms. After releasing the likes of Grounded, Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment on PlayStation and Switch, Microsoft is finally ready to bring pirate adventure game Sea of Thieves to PS5. Previously only available on Xbox and PC, Sea of Thieves has an April 25 release date on PS5 and a 2pm BST UK launch time. It's worth pointing out, however, that the April 25 release date is only for fans who pre-order the Sea of Thieves Premium Edition, which comes with five days of early access. Priced at £59.99, the Premium Edition also comes with a Diabolical Dog Pet, as well as the Season 12 Plunder Pass, the Dark Warsmith Set and Costume, plus various cosmetics and items.
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To ensure you can start playing pretty much the minute it goes live, pre-order customers can actually pre-load the game ahead of launch.
It's worth pointing out, however, that even if you pre-load, you'll need to download and install a small update at launch.
The news was announced by Sea of Thieves developer Rare on X: "Sea of Thieves is now available to pre-load for all Early Access pirates who pre-order the Premium Edition on PlayStation 5!
"A small update will be required on April 25th, but pre-loading ensures you can then set sail as quickly as possible."
If you haven't pre-ordered the game, then unfortunately you won't be able to start playing until April 30.
While this means Standard and Deluxe Edition customers won't be able to play this weekend, the good news is that April 30 is the same day Season 12 launches.
To get things ready for Season 12, Rare is planning to take the game offline for maintenance on April 25. While this shouldn't impact the PS5 launch, it's worth taking into account, especially if you're struggling to get online.
"Attention, pirates! The Sea of Thieves servers will be taken offline for necessary maintenance tomorrow, April 25th, from around 9am UTC. Please plan your Voyages accordingly," reads an X post.
"This planned maintenance should not impact PlayStation 5 Early Access, which is scheduled to begin at 1pm UTC/6am PT/9am ET on April 25th."
