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Atomic Heart release date and everything we know so far

Atomic Heart is one of the new games for 2023 that shouldn't be ignored. Development of this tantalizing first-person shooter has been rumbling on for years now, steadily gaining traction as word spread of its incredible visual fidelity and mysterious alt-history setting. With the Atomic Heart release date now just weeks away, it won't be long before we find out whether all of those hype-generating trailers are truly reflective of what developer Mundfish is able to deliver. 

Still, we're confident that Atomic Heart will be a shooter worth your time and attention. With its gorgeous science-fiction setting, blend of fast-FPS action and heavy melee combat, and a story that'll take you into the depths of secret Soviet research facilities, Atomic Heart is one of the most anticipated upcoming PS5 games and upcoming Xbox Series X games of the year. So you'll want to keep reading to learn everything that we know about Atomic Heart so far.  

Atomic Heart release date

Atomic Heart Steam

(Image credit: Mundfish)

The Atomic Heart release date is scheduled for February 21, 2023. While many believed that Atomic Heart would launch last year, following the release of a new story-centric trailer, it was eventually confirmed that Atomic Heart would launch in 2023 – news which arrived alongside the announcement that Focus Entertainment will be publishing the game.

Atomic Heart platforms

Atomic Heart Steam

(Image credit: Mundfish)

Developer Mundfish has confirmed the Atomic Heart platforms as PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, and Xbox One. Mundfish is pushing for a benchmark-setting presentation to bring its world and weapons to life, with new-gen versions of the game offering fantastic detail and visual fidelity. The PC version of Atomic Heart will also support NVIDIA RTX Real-Time Ray Tracing to help further your immersion in this alt-history experience

Atomic Heart Game Pass release confirmed

Atomic Heart Steam

(Image credit: Mundfish)

Atomic Heart will be on Game Pass from day one. The news was confirmed at E3 2021, when developer Mundfish and Atomic Heart were included as part of the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase. That means that if you're an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, you'll be able to play the game as part of your membership from February 21 – and you can even go ahead and pre-install the game now through the service if you want to jump into the action at the first opportunity. 

Watch the Atomic Heart trailer

There have been plenty of Atomic Heart trailers over the years, although this most recent look at the game from earlier this year remains one of our favorites. Designed principally to show off the level of detail Atomic Heart can deliver when running in ultra-4K, this GeForce RTX Gameplay Reveal does a great job at selling the high-concept of the world and the potential of its fast-paced FPS combat. 

Atomic Heart gameplay explained 

Atomic Heart Steam

(Image credit: Mundfish)

Atomic Heart is a new first-person shooter from developer Mundfish. From everything we have seen from the game so far, the Atomic Heart gameplay promises to deliver a smartly-dressed blend of slashing and shooting in a strange science-fiction setting. Atomic Heart takes place on an alternative timeline, where the USSR was able to defeat Nazi Germany and emerge as a major player on the world stage – investing heavily in advanced robotics. Given how much of the gameplay footage we've seen so far seems to be the player fighting a cavalcade of malfunctioning androids and robots, we're going to assume that something went wrong along the way. 

Between its weighted FPS combat, brutal-looking melee encounters, and vast array of wieldable elemental powers, it's no surprise that many believe Atomic Heart to be the second coming of BioShock. The game is also set to feature two different endings, and follow a "strict linear plot" on the road to reach that final branching path. A recent Atomic Heart combat trailer gives a better sense of what to expect from the ranged and melee gameplay, ahead of you getting to try the game for yourself on February 21.  

There won't be Atomic Heart multiplayer support

Atomic Heart Steam

(Image credit: Mundfish)

There will be no Atomic Heart multiplayer support. The news arrived a couple of weeks ago, as developer Mundfish flip-flops on previous statements to now say that the game will be single player only. At one point, the studio said that Atomic Heart would feature dedicated regions where you could fight other players, with the official website even going so far as to confirm the combative spaces: "If you are ready to challenge other players, a secret railway will get you to a special region meant for PvP battle." Sadly, game director Robert Bagratuni recently told Wccftech that "no multiplayer add-ons are planned at this time."

The Atomic Heart soundtrack is by Doom's Mick Gordon

Atomic Heart Steam

(Image credit: Mundfish)

The Atomic Heart soundtrack is being worked on by Mick Gordon – the famed composer responsible for tracking the gore-ride to hell in DOOM. Developer Mundfish says that it has had some fun recording sounds for Atomic Heart, noting in an official statement that it has "recorded an unimaginable number of string vibrations, resonances of iron sheets, rods, barrels, chains, and car doors in various studios. We smashed several dozen pounds of fruit and vegetables and tore apart an entire closet of clothes!" The studio notes of the Atomic Heart Mick Gordon collaboration that we should "imagine the hurricane action movie Atomica with Swan Lake as soundtrack, where techno and metal are combined with each other in the most incredible way."

Atomic Heart is one of the most anticipated upcoming PC games of 2023. While you wait for its release, why not jump into one of the best FPS games that you can play today.

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