Manor Lords release date, time countdown – when does early access come out?

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Manor Lords early access release date

• Manor Lords will be released on April 26, 2024 on PC.
• It will be released later for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
• Manor Lords is a Steam Early Access game, which means it is still in development but you can play it.

Manor Lords has quickly become one of the most anticipated games of the year. It has been wishlisted by over three million people and it looks absolutely spectacular with its now unplayable demo previously blowing fans away. We now know the official Manor Lords release date and time countdown for when early access will come out on Steam, and fortunately fans no longer have too long to wait.

As previously mentioned, it has been wishlisted by over three million people and this has seen the game break the record for the most wishlisted title ever on Steam. It is launching exclusively on PC, but there are plans to bring it to Xbox eventually. Although it is not launching on Xbox consoles, it will be available through PC Game Pass from day one of its launch.

Everything about the game looks absolutely epic and in our early access review we praised the game for its ‘complex and seductive spin on the city builder’ genre. Fortunately we no longer have too long to wait for it to come out as the Manor Lords release date and time countdown is nearly over.

Manor Lords early access release date

The release date for Manor Lords early access is April 26th. This is confirmed over on the official Steam Store Page.

Aside from Steam, it is also available to get from day one through PC Game Pass. The plan is to bring it to Xbox consoles in the future, but there’s no specified timeframe for when this will happen. There are no plans to bring it to PS5, but this is something that could change in the future.

It’s important to note that this launch is early access only. This means it is an early build, but there will still be plenty of content and features to enjoy. Make sure to check out the PC system requirements ahead of buying.

When does Manor Lords come out?

The official release time for when Manor Lords early access will come out is 6 AM PT/ 9 AM ET/ 2 PM BST on April 26th. This comes courtesy of an official launch map shared by the developer.

Unfortunately, no price for how much the game will cost has been shared ahead of launch. While no specific price has been shared, HoodedHorse has posted on Reddit that people should not be worried about the price as they have never done AAA pricing on a game.

In addition to not knowing the price, it is also impossible to pre-order. As explained by HoodedHorse, this is to prevent scammers from exploiting the hype around the game and selling keys.

Manor Lords release time US

• 6 AM PT on Friday, April 26th
• 9 AM ET on Friday, April 26th

Manor Lords release time UK

• 2 PM BST on Friday, April 26th

Countdown

Below is a countdown to the official release date and time for Manor Lords:

Gameplay

Manor Lords is a real-time strategy game that lets you pick a region before creating your first settlement. Right from developing burgage plots and housing to assigning roles to settlers and growing your city, the game leaves no stone unturned in its pursuit of authenticity. Every decision requires you to consider a variety of factors like soil fertility, groundwater, and food sources. Buildings like the woodcutter’s lodge, marketplace, and church lend a European aesthetic to the game. Unlike most RTS titles, the world reacts to your choices, with deforestation and unsustainable hunting drastically changing the terrain. You can mitigate some of this by taking advantage of major trade routes. Paths even erode based on how many people use them.

Weather conditions play an important role as well, dictating what crops you can plant and what supplies you’ll need to survive the harsher months. This plays into battles, be it against banditry, rebellions, or feuds, with movement determined by the condition of the ground. While we didn’t get to test out combat much, trailers have shown off massive skirmishes that can injure your economy if you aren’t careful. Troops are split between peasant militia, trained mercenaries, and the pricey Lord’s retinue.

Melee troops can ‘push’ or ‘give ground’ while archers have ‘volley’ and ‘quickdraw’ orders. Siege engines will also play a role in combat. Weapons for spearmen, archers, and cavalry can either be forged or imported, giving you free rein on what your settlements should focus on. Stats like morale and fatigue will also impact the flow of combat. We’re not sure how well this experience will translate to consoles but our first impressions on PC are pretty positive. 

What we think about Manor Lords

We had a great time playing Manor Lords back when its demo dropped during Steam’s Next Fest event back in October 2022. Its solid visuals and performance, even in demo form, have us hopeful for a smooth launch without too many bugs. Buildings and settlers worked as expected, managing economic chains and resources without slowing down. While some of its mechanics can feel obtuse to pick up, much of its little wins rely on you picking up knowledge from experience, letting you improve with subsequent settlements. 

And yes, you can walk around your city with a third-person view as a Lord or Lady, making Manor Lords even more immersive. We didn’t get to try the diplomacy features between medieval lords and ladies. But with letters that can be written line by line, expect a decent degree of nuance when it comes to winning neighbouring kingdoms over. Overall, it’s an experience that we are looking forward to.

What is the Manor Lords full release date?

We can expect the full game to come out of early access in around a year, although it could well be longer. According to Hooded Horse on the game’s Steam store front page: “We plan to improve the quality of the game by making various improvements throughout early access for at least one year. During early access, we will update the game based on the roadmap, actively adding content and improving the game systems. Depending on the progress of development, we may consider extending early access or if we are satisfied with the state of the game, officially releasing the game.”

Before the game comes out, make sure to check out our guides to help you at launch. We have a beginner’s guide full of tips and tricks, we have a guide to the best graphics settings, and we have a guide for how to increase influence.