AION 2 Countdown — Global Launch Time in Your Time Zone

When does AION 2 come out?

AION 2 comes out on October 5, 2026, when the global servers open free to play at 13:00 UTC. There are two moments, not one:

• September 30, 2026, 13:00 UTC — Advance Access began: paid, Founder's Pack buyers only.
• October 5, 2026, 13:00 UTC — free-to-play launch: no purchase needed, everyone in.

The October moment is the one every source agrees on: SteamDB's release record, Steam's own store countdown, and independent launch coverage (Game8, Questlog, Incendar, GameRant) all land on 13:00 UTC. The September 30 clock time is softer — it comes from the same release record, but Questlog lists the opening half an hour later at 13:30 UTC, and NC has never published a minute on its own channels. That split is why both dates on this page are marked reported rather than confirmed; we update this page the moment anything official lands.

What time is that where I live?

The whole page in one table — 13:00 UTC on October 5, 2026, converted to the zones readers ask about most:

All zones above are on daylight saving time on launch day — the United States stays on it until November 1, 2026, the UK and EU until October 25 — so the table is exact for October 5 and only drifts afterward. The September 30 early-access opening followed the same 13:00 UTC cadence; its own zone conversions live on our AION 2 early access page.

Which countdown are you watching? Early Access vs free-to-play

Most launch-week pages hang a timer and never say what it counts to. AION 2's launch week has two distinct moments, and mixing them up is the most common confusion we see:

The timer on this page counts to the free-to-play launch, because that is the moment every reader shares — no purchase required. The paid head start is a different clock: NC's own announcement set the Advance Access window at September 30 to October 4, five days, and that window is what a Founder's Pack buys. If you are reading this on October 4 or 5 without a pack, there is nothing left to buy into — the free launch is hours away, and the pack you would buy now is a launch-day purchase, not a ticket in.

What the pack tiers contain, what they cost, and how to get in — that stays on our AION 2 early access page; this page only keeps the clocks.

What to do while you wait

Four things, in the order they pay off:

• Pre-load the client. The download window opened September 28 and it is a full client with a 100 GB storage requirement — start it today, not on launch morning. Step-by-step for both Steam and PURPLE on our AION 2 download guide.
• Pick a server. Server names repeat across regions and each pair splits into Elyos and Asmodian sides — how to choose, and how to check whether a server is up, on our AION 2 servers page.
• Pick your class. The AION 2 classes hub breaks down all eight launch classes by role and weapon, and the AION 2 tier list carries our role rankings — framework live now, sourced ratings by October 8.
• Plan your first hours. The AION 2 beginner guide walks the opening chain in order, so your first evening is progression rather than menu confusion.

After launch: what changes

When 13:00 UTC on October 5 passes, this page stops being a countdown and becomes a record: the confirmed opening time, what actually happened at launch, and any maintenance windows NC posts. No pre-launch maintenance has been announced as of October 3 — if one appears on the official channels, it goes into the changelog below the same day.

Already on the calendar: NC's own announcement sets server transfers for October 14, 2026, same-faction only. And our tier list promise stands — sourced role rankings by October 8, once there is a real play sample to rank on.

AION 2 launch time FAQ

Changelog