Concord Release Date, Beta, Characters, & Pre-Order Bonuses

Summary Concord, a new hero shooter, is set for release on August 23, 2024, for PS5 and PC.

The game will have a beta in July, accessible through pre-orders, offering extra access for friends.

There are sixteen characters in Concord with diverse abilities and roles in a sci-fi heist setting.

Concord is a contender for the next big hero shooter on the market, bringing 5v5 first-person action to a pulpy sci-fi setting. The game comes courtesy of Firewalk Studios, a company founded by veterans of companies like Bungie and Activision with plenty of experience in the genre. PlayStation acquired the developer in 2023, following other purchases like Bungie and Haven Studios that could help Sony hold its own against Microsoft's newfound ownership of power franchises like Call of Duty.

Concord was first announced in 2023 for PS5 and PC, but the initial reveal didn't offer much in the way of details. The Guardians of the Galaxy-esque retro sci-fi feel did make itself clear, along with a vague 2024 launch window. The PlayStation State of Play May 2024 event provided a much more significant update on the game, introducing the world and characters through an involved cinematic trailer before showcasing the gameplay in a follow-up video. With other details like the release date and pre-order options now available, anyone excited for Concord has a lot to pay attention to.

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Concord Is Squeezing Into A Summer 2024 Release

As revealed in the PlayStation State of Play, Concord is set for release on August 23, 2024. On that date, the game will be available on PS5 and PC, although the latter comes with a caveat. Like Ghost of Tsushima, Concord will require a PlayStation Network account on PC as well as PS5, which will lock it out of some regions that don't have access to the service. On PS5, a PlayStation Plus membership will be required thanks to the game's need for online services and consistent internet access.

Concord Pre-Launch Beta Details

A July Beta Is Made Accessible Through Pre-Orders

Ahead of the August 23 launch, Concord will be releasing a beta version sometime in the month of July. No further details have yet been provided on exactly when that beta can be expected, but considering its proximity to the release, it should provide a close-to-final version of the game. Past hero shooters like Overwatch similarly employed pre-launch beta strategies, although Overwatch's started much earlier and saw a more thorough evolution before release than Concord's is likely to.

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Accessing the Concord beta is tied to pre-orders of the game, although locking in one might not be necessary to get the chance to play. A pre-ordered copy offers four extra beta access options in addition to the one for the buyer, making it possible to grab enough friends for a full team during Concord's beta with only one purchase of the game.

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Concord Characters & Story

What Options To Expect In The Hero Shooter

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Concord's cinematic trailer and gameplay showcase focus on five of the heroes, with a number of other Freegunners being revealed through a brief look at a character select screen. So far, Concord's been shown to feature sixteen characters, with ten getting confirmed names.

Vale

Lennox

Haymar

Star Child

1-Off

Teo

Lark

Emari

Jabali

Kyps

Vale has the sniper territory covered, and based on both the cinematic trailer and a brief gameplay snippet, she should be getting a bit of extra mobility through the use of a high jump. Lennox is a revolver-toting gunslinger who seems to be a little bit of a loose cannon when it comes to plans. Haymar, who seems to care more about sticking to the script, enters the fray with a crossbow and some incendiary pellets.

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Star Child, more or less the game's equivalent of GotG's Drax, is a tank-like figure wielding a heavier gun. Rounding out the main cast of the trailers is the robot 1-Off, which is even more of a classic tank with a slower gait and oversized weapon reminiscent of Team Fortress 2's Heavy. The gameplay trailer offers some very brief looks at action from some other characters, but it's mostly just flashes of firing rifles or tossing out items.

The basic concept of matches is that Freegunner crews trying to pull off heists across the galaxy end up competing with each other, which is more than enough narrative justification for a genre that usually has little. The team is also promising a weekly "cinematic vignette" to help flesh out the characters, potentially dodging the common approach of lore and development only coming in stops and starts.

Concord Pre-Order Bonuses

Concord Pre-Orders Open In June

As previously mentioned, the most exciting bonus for pre-ordering Concord might be the beta access, and assuming the beta proves fun to play, being able to share it with friends could be the easiest way to get others on board for the launch. The other pre-order incentive is the Monarch Pack, which shows a custom skin for Vale in the pre-order announcement screen. There's no word on the price of a pre-order yet, but the option will open on June 6, so more should be coming soon.

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As far as the general cost, the existence of a pre-order wouldn't necessarily mean the game isn't free-to-play, as it could just be for a souped-up edition ("Monarch" seems like an easy reference to a "founder's pack" concept). The PlayStation Plus requirement for multiplayer, however, makes it seem like there's probably an upfront price tag attached. That's not necessarily a bad thing if it makes other monetization methods less intense, but it could make acquiring a community at launch more difficult.

A new hero shooter dropping in 2024 feels a bit late to the party, and the jump from the cinematic trailer shown at the State of Play showcase to the gameplay footage has already met with a mixed reception. Concord looks polished, however, and the team behind it has the expertise necessary to make an FPS that feels good in both movement and gameplay. Locking in a pre-order for Concord might be a move best reserved for the diehards, but it could definitely be worth keeping an eye on for anyone in need of a new online game.