The Anthem VIP Demo arrives this weekend, followed by a public Demo next week. Then we will have an early access with special conditions and rewards if you qualify and finally the full release date for the game – February 22nd. This article will help you understand when, what and how you can play Anthem early or at all, plus all the official PC system requirements – all in one place.
Anthem VIP Demo and Public Demo
The VIP Demo will be accessible starting January 25th until January 27th (might be 26th to 28th based on your time zone). You can pre-load it now. The size of the game is over 40 GB on PC. I see reports that it’s nearly twice smaller on consoles. And that’s right – all of Anthem’s Demos and early access features are available at the same dates for all three platforms – PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Here are the exact start and end times for some of the timezones:
TimezoneStart TimeEnd Time GMT / UTCFri 17:00Mon 02:00 PacificFri 09:00Sun 18:00 US CentralFri 11:00Sun 20:00 US EasternFri 12:00Sun 21:00 AESTSat 03:00Mon 14:00
The same hours will be valid for the next Weekend – February 1st to February 3rd when the Public Demo will be available. More about it below!
To access this demo you will need to either have an active subscription to Origin Basic, Origin Premiere or EA Access or have pre-ordered the game.
To install the demo on PC, go to Origin store and find Anthem, then opt to try the game from the available button. This button as well as the demo are reportedly not available in the Origin client.
To install the demo on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, go to the PSN store and Microsoft’s store respectively and find the game’s own page. For consoles you will need Xbox Live Gold and PlayStation Plus subscription as well as access to internet to play the Anthem Demos.
If you have pre-ordered a physical copy from a retailer, you should have received a code from them that will grant you access to the VIP Demo. If you have not received it yet, contact the retailer.
Every VIP Demo player can share access to it with up to three friends. To do that go to the Demo Page on Anthem’s website and copy the link, then share it with your friends. If you receive an invitation, you have to also go to Anthem’s website and sign in with your account.
Your progress will NOT carry over to the finished game, but it will carry over to the Public Demo, which is one week later.
One week after the VIP Demo, the Public Anthem Demo will be accessible. It will feature the exact same content and will be free for absolutely everyone to download and try out.
Progress you have made during the Demo will NOT carry over to the full game.
Don’t rush to delete your access portal to the Demo if you don’t have to. BioWare reportedly confirmed that this can be used to gain access to the Public Demo if you have already played the VIP Demo.
In both demos your will play from level 10 to level 15. These are demos, not beta tests. This means you will get to experience various portions of the game without being spoiled (too much) with the main story plotline.
The Demos are meant to give you an insight at what the game will be like before you decide if you are going to purchase this brand new IP that BioWare has been working on for the past few years. The leveling and quest experience will not be exactly the same as in the finished game.
Participating in the Anthem Demo events will grant you a special in-game reward when Anthem launches. There are also rewards for pre-ordering any of the the game’s two editions. There might even be different rewards provided by some retailers if you purchase your copy from them.
Anthem Early Access Dates and PC System Requirements
If you have at an active Origin Premiere subscription on February 15th at 15:00 GMT, you will get early access to the full game with no restrictions.
On February 15th at 15:00 GMT Origin and EA Access members will have 10 hours trial. These trials are not new for EA. The same thing was available for Mass Effect Andromeda. It kind of back-fired in their faces for Andromeda, but EA insists on doing these. At least we can’t complain from the lack of opportunities (some of them 100% free as well) to try the game before purchasing it.
For Origin Premiere and Origin Access members, who have also pre-ordered Anthem, you should have two copies of the game in your client library. If you do not, right-click on the one you have and choose “upgrade game”. This will add a second Anthem game in your library with the February 15 early access unlocked.
To play the PC version of Anthem you will need a decent hardware. The official PC System requirements have been announced a while ago. Here are they once again:
Anthem minimum requirements
- OS: 64-bit Windows 10
- CPU: Intel Core i5 3570 or AMD FX-6350
- RAM: 8 GB System Memory
- GPU: NVIDIA GTX 760, AMD Radeon 7970 / R9280X
- GPU RAM: 2 GB Video Memory
- HARD DRIVE: At least 50 GB of free space
- DIRECTX: DirectX 11
Anthem Recommended Requirements
- OS: 64-bit Windows 10
- CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz or AMD Ryzen 3 1300X 3.5 GHz
- RAM: 16 GB System Memory
- GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1060/ RTX 2060, AMD RX 480
- GPU RAM: 4 GB Video Memory
- HARD DRIVE: At least 50 GB of free space
- DIRECTX: DirectX 11
