Here Is When God Of War PS4 Pre-Loading Begins; Unlock Time Confirmed

PS4's highly anticipated God of War is only a few days away, with pre-loading even closer. Sony Santa Monica's reboot of the long-running action series releases on Friday, April 20, though some players will have a chance to play it a little before then depending on where you live.

If you're planning on picking the title up digitally, God of War will be available from the PlayStation Store right at 12 AM ET on April 20, meaning PS4 owners on the West Coast can start playing it at 9 PM PT on April 19. The Europe and Australia PlayStation Stores also list the game for April 19, although neither says the exact time that it will be available those regions yet. On PSN in the US, Sony says that pre-loading begins at some point on Tuesday, April 17.

Ahead of its release, you're still able to pre-order God of War digitally, which will get you a handful of bonus items. The standard edition comes with several God of War avatars that will be available immediately upon purchase. The game also comes in a Digital Deluxe edition, which contains an assortment of exclusive content, such as special armor and shield skins. You can see all of the bonus items in our God of War pre-order guide.

God of War is the first new installment in the series since 2013's God of War Ascension for PS3. Unlike previous titles, the upcoming PS4 entry focuses on the story of Kratos and his son, Atreus. The game diverges from its predecessors in a number of other notable ways, drawing on Norse mythology as opposed to Greek and arming Kratos with the new Leviathan Axe.

Critics have had very good things to say about the new God of War. GameSpot's Peter Brown awarded it a 9/10 in our God of War review and called it "a spectacular action game with epic set pieces." He wrote, "Like Kratos, God of War recalls the past while acknowledging the need to improve. Everything new it does is for the better, and everything it holds onto benefits as a result. Kratos is no longer a predictable brute. God of War is no longer an old-fashioned action series. With this reboot, it confidently walks a new path that will hopefully lead to more exciting adventures to come."