What time does No Man’s Sky unlock for PC?

PlayStation 4 gamers have been logging and renaming strange animals, patronizingly patting aliens on the head, and exploring No Man’s Sky’s galaxies for much of the week.

But what about Windows PC gamers? When do they get to dive into the (obviously) superior version of the game and take (obviously) better screenshots of all of their wacky adventures?

The bad news is that the PC version of No Man’s Sky isn’t due to hit until 1 p.m. ET tomorrow, Aug. 12. The worse news is that there will be no pre-loading available.

That’s right, PC gamers: Not only do you have to wait until Friday to start playing, but you have to wait until Friday afternoon (on the East Coast). Actually, that’s not when you’ll be playing, but when you’ll start downloading — and, if history repeats itself, patching.

Grid View

No Man’s Sky is available for pre-order through Steam or GOG. You can also pick up one of the remaining Limited Edition versions of the game from iam8bit. That package comes with either a GOG or Steam code as well as a Traveller pin, a diorama display backdrop, log and space pen, and a hand-painted, cast metal ship replica with decals for customization.

Check out new shots of the finished ship above, and then figure out how to while away the rest of the time before the game launches. I’ve dropped a handy-dandy countdown clock below to highlight just how slowly time moves. In the meantime, you can read our impressions of the opening of No Man’s Sky and study some tips from our guide.

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