Release Date

Release Date

A release date is the date that a game becomes playable for the very first time to the general public (according to platform and regions). We’ll always go with the earliest date first, (for example beta, early access or game preview), as long as they’re playable by everyone.

If a game is available to the general public, it should be possible for consumers to rate and review it.

‘Closed Betas’ and ‘Alpha Play Tests’ may not fit into these categories. The same goes for ‘Limited Time Releases’.

Please note that 'Edition specific' release dates should be added to the page for that edition only.

Currently we do not accept release dates for games being released via a subscription service unless it’s also released as a separate title.

Examples: Yakuza 0 being playable on Xbox Series X via Xbox Game Pass or Super Mario Bros. 3 being playable on Nintendo Switch via Nintendo Switch Online.

Platform

A platform is either the name of the console or the operating system of a computer or a mobile device.

• Example: Spore has been released for Microsoft Windows (PC) and Mac, each with their individual release date info.

Date

The release date can be found from official channels such as the publisher’s or developer’s website. Keeping this blank will default to TBA (To Be Announced).

Status

Prior to its full release, a game often has more than one status during the development. These statuses typically have varying dates depending on when the game's information is accessible to the general public. We are able to track the progress of various statuses via our release dates. The definitions for each status are listed below:

Alpha: This date should be when the game was released in its alpha status to a limited public. When a game is in this status, it is playable but generally lacks a lot of features.

Beta: This date should be when the game was released in Beta, meaning it is still in the early phases but has gotten further along than Alpha. Though it generally would have bugs and features that are not fully developed.

Canceled: This date should be the date the game’s development was canceled. Read more about what makes a canceled game here.

Early Access: This date reflects when the game was publicly released. Usually a game in Early Access is incomplete in its features but playable. This stage can run in parallel with the Alpha and Beta stages.

Full Release: This date reflects when the game was fully released in completion. This is typically the date that most stores and official websites will list as release date.

Offline: This is the date the game’s servers were shut down and the game became unavailable to play.

No status: You can leave this field empty if you're unsure about the status of a release date.

Note: Leaving the release date field blank will default to TBA (To Be Announced).

Please be aware that our general tab’s status field differs from the status by release dates. The the status in general shows information around the present state of the game (example: Game A is currently in Early Access, previously released as an open beta). This section can also show information on games that have been canceled across all platforms. For status by release dates, the status is specifically around a date for a platform and not for the entire game.

Additionally, we can track multiple dates with different statuses on any particular platform, so please do not remove existing dates when a game changes status. As an example, when an early access game gets a full release, we want to track both the early access release date and full release date.

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Region

Select the region for this particular release. When unsure it is best to keep it blank (default).

On IGDB, we support the following regions:

• Worldwide (WW)
• Europe (EU)
• North America (NA)
• Australia (AU)
• New Zealand (NZ)
• Japan (JP)
• China (CH)
• Asia (AS)
• Korea (KR)
• Brazil (BR)

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Backwards Compatibility vs. Re-Releases

Previous generation games playable on next generation platforms only through backwards compatibility are not listed with a release date for next generation platforms. This frequently applies to Xbox One and PS4 games playable on Xbox Series and PS5.

We would accept next generation platform release dates in the following scenarios:

• A game gets an upgraded native version for next generation platforms.

Example: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

On modern platforms like Xbox and Playstation where digital storefronts are selling copies for last generation and next generation platforms on the same store listings, you can check for the following indicators that a game has a next generation upgrade Xbox games that have a next generation upgrade have the following capability listed on the store page

Playstation games are easier to check, as their store pages will only list PS5 if a specific PS5 version exists, and PS4 games are not listed for PS5 despite being playable through backward compatibility.

• An emulated game gets a new standalone release not utilizing backwards compatibility.

Example: Virtual Console releases such as Super Mario World

For emulated games with enough new features and enhancements to set them apart from the original releases, we would create a new game page.

Example: Arcade Archive games such as Arcade Archives: Frogger, as well as enhanced PS1 games released for PS4 and PS5 with trophy support and other new features, such as Ape Escape.

• Games that are only playable via backwards compatibility will not have new platform release dates added.

Example: Sunset Overdrive

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Bundled Games

Games released for a particular platform on their own will have their standalone release date tracked and not the bundle date.

Games released in bundles and not released on their own for a particular platform fall under a few scenarios, which are each handled a bit differently:

• Games running under emulation:

If there are no significant differences from the original version, we would not consider this to be a new release date for the original game and would not consider this bundled version to be its own entry.

Example: Games contained in Atari Vault

If there are significant differences, we would consider it to be a new game and treat it as a port of the original or some other type depending on the changes. The bundle release date would be added to the new game in this scenario.

Example: Games contained in Castlevania Advance Collection

• Games running natively:

If there are no significant differences, we would track the bundle date on the original game page. Ex: Devil May Cry’s remaster has been released in different bundles across multiple generations of consoles, and these bundle releases are tracked on the same remaster page Devil May Cry.

If there are significant differences, we would consider it to be a new game and treat it as a remaster or expanded game of the original, or some other type depending on the changes. The bundle release date would be added to the new game in this scenario.

Example: Games contained in Spyro Reignited Trilogy

• Games also released on their own: If a game was released by itself on the same platform as a bundled release, we will not accept the bundle release date.

Example: Super Mario Bros. vs. Super Mario Bros. / Duck Hunt