News / Afterburn
Afterburn goes gold — here’s exactly when you get to play
Meridian Softworks confirms the racer is done, pre-loads open Nov 15, and the worldwide unlock is a single simultaneous moment.
Rae Okafor
Release desk · Tilplay
Afterburn has gone gold. Meridian Softworks confirmed this morning that the arcade racer’s launch build is finished and certified on all three platforms, locking in the November 17 release date it announced back in March.
There will be no staggered midnight launches. The studio is flipping one switch for the whole planet: 5:00 PM GMT on November 17. That lands at 9:00 AM in Los Angeles, noon in New York, 6:00 PM in Berlin — and 2:00 AM on November 18 in Tokyo.
’Til play
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Pre-loads open 48 hours out
Pre-loads begin November 15 at 5:00 PM GMT on every platform — 74 GB on PC, 82 GB on consoles. Deluxe and Collector’s buyers start playing at that same moment thanks to the 48-hour early unlock, which Meridian says covers the full game rather than a trial slice.
A day-one patch is planned, but the studio insists it is “small and boring on purpose” — under 2 GB, mostly photo-mode fixes and liveries.
“The finish line is real this time. Nobody on Earth waits longer than anybody else — one countdown, one green light.” — Ines Vidal, game director, on the global unlock
What’s still coming before launch
An open trial runs October 23–26 with two circuits and eight cars, and progress carries forward. Expect the launch trailer in early November, followed by the soundtrack’s final singles — the studio has been releasing one synth track per month since spring.
Until then, the clock above is doing the only work that matters. Make a countdown poster and put it somewhere your friends can see it.