When can you play Anthem? It’s surprisingly complicated

Anthem, like several other titles that Electronic Arts has published recently, has an extremely drawn-out release date ... or release dates, in this case.

With a demo on the way as well as the full release in February, there are quite a few different dates to keep track of. So, here’s the full breakdown of when exactly you’ll be able to play Anthem.

Anthem VIP Demo

Dates: Jan. 25-27

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One

Requirements: pre-order, or EA Access or Origin Access subscription

This is the first early access demo that EA is offering for Anthem. It’s only available to players who have the game pre-ordered, or subscribe to EA Access (Xbox One) or Origin Access (PC).

Origin Access has two tiers. The first is Basic ($4.99 per month), which is the same price as EA Access and offers the same early access benefits. The second is Premier ($14.99), which offers more benefits and has no console equivalent. It’s still unclear what exactly will be included in this demo, but it will probably just be a small portion of the overall game.

Anthem Open Demo

Dates: Feb. 1-3

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One

Requirements: none

This one’s just what it says: an open beta with no strings attached. If you want to check out Anthem on any of these platforms, you can download it and try it during this three-day period for free.

Anthem early access to the full game

Release date: Feb. 15

Platforms: PC

Requirements: Origin Access Premier subscription

This will give players access to all of Anthem, a full week before its official release. It will let players experience all of the game’s content with no time limit. The only catch is that you need Origin Access Premier, which is only available on PC.

Anthem 10 hours of access to the full game

Release date: Feb. 15

Platforms: PC, Xbox One

Requirements: EA Access or Origin Access Basic subscription

Players on Xbox One and PC who pay for EA Access or the Basic tier of Origin Access, respectively, will be able to play the whole game for up to 10 hours starting on Feb. 15.

Public Anthem release date

Release date: Feb. 22

Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One

Requirements: buy the game

This is the proper release date of Anthem. As of Feb. 22, anyone who wants to can buy it and play it.

Update: If you’re more of a visual learner, EA has released an image that lays out the complex release schedule of Anthem, seen below.

BioWare/Electronic Arts