Destiny 2 on PC: Start pre-loading now and find out when the game goes live

Destiny 2 will launch on PC in less than a week. Are you already plotting out how best to spend your hours in the alien shooting sensation of this season? If so, I've got a handy little update straight from Bungie for you: a schedule for the first three weeks worth of content. Now you'll know exactly when you can take on your fellow players in Trials of the Nine and Calus' legions in The Leviathan Raid. Need to catch up on when the game goes live, what it looks like, and what you'll need to play it? No worries, just keep scrolling.

What content will be available when Destiny 2 launches on PC?

I've been wondering how Bungie will catch Destiny 2 PC players up to their console cousins in terms of content releases for a while. Now this official schedule reveals how the first three weeks will go on PC: it looks like everything will roll out in roughly the same order as it did on console, just in a condensed timeframe.

Here's a written-out version of the calendar for your convenience:

Week 1

Tuesday, October 24:
Destiny 2 launches on PC (hooray!)
Nightfall Normal Mode goes live
Nightfall Prestige Mode goes live
Nightfall Guided Games are enabled

Week 2

Wednesday, November 1
The Leviathan Raid normal mode goes live

Friday, November 3
Trials of the Nine (special PvP event) begins

Week 3

Tuesday, November 7
The Leviathan Raid Prestige Mode goes live
Raid Guided Games are enabled

The Leviathan Prestige Mode just went live on consoles earlier this week (with some controversy over who won its World First honors). Assuming Destiny 2's console version doesn't grow too much by the end of PC week 3, everybody should be nicely caught up by the middle of November.

When can I pre-load Destiny 2 on PC?

Pre-loading for Destiny 2 began on October 18, so if you already have a copy pre-ordered via Battle.net you can start downloading immediately. It's a 38GB download, though Bungie's specs say you'll need at least 68GB free in order to install the game.

That gives you plenty of time to get your hard drive all nice and comfy for its new Guardian residents.

What does Destiny 2 on PC look like in 4K and 60FPS?

Destiny 2's PC version got its own special launch trailer that shows the game running in ideal conditions and, oh merciful Traveler, does it look nice. Not every PC is going to be able to run Destiny 2 at 4K resolution with an uncapped framerate, of course, but if yours can you have a lot to look forward to. Just going by the beta, though, even more humble computer setups (like mine) can run a very nice looking version of the game. Definitely enough to make console Guardians jealous. 

When will Destiny 2 go live on PC?

Bungie made up this handy (and very thematic) map with Destiny 2 PC launch times all around the world, click the icon in the upper right corner to enlarge it. If you can't see the image right now, I've also written down some of the key start times below, and Bungie set up this time zone converter for folks who live in other timey-wimey locations.

Pacific Daylight Time: 10 am on October 24

Eastern Daylight Time: 1 pm on October 24

British Summer Time: 6 pm on October 24

How can I pre-order Destiny 2 on PC?

The easiest way to pre-order Destiny 2 on PC is to go directly through Battle.net, since that's where we'll all be playing anyway (it's not coming to Steam no matter how much any of us ask). You can still buy a copy of the game from other retailers, of course, but they're all going to sell you a code that you'll then have to go and type into Battle.net. With that said, I personally pre-ordered Destiny 2 on PC via Amazon because it ended up being $10 cheaper with my Prime membership - so that's definitely something to check out. I'm not sure if or how I'll get the pre-order bonus items like Coldheart or start pre-loading the game, but I'd rather save the money either way.

Update: Looks like Amazon has bumped its price up to the standard $59.99 now - hopefully you got in while the savings were good!

What are Destiny 2's minimum/recommended PC specs?

We already had a good idea of what specs it would take to run Destiny 2 thanks to the PC beta. Now Bungie's locked down both minimum and recommended specs for the full release. The good news is that the minimums are modest for a modern gaming rig, and even the recommended set is pretty feasible.

Destiny 2 PC overall requirements

OS: Windows 7 64-bit or Windows 8.1 64-bit or Windows 10 64-bit (Recommended)
Hard drive space: 68GB available.

Destiny 2 PC minimum specs

CPU (Intel): Intel Core i3-3250 3.5 GHz or Intel Pentium G4560 3.5 GHz
CPU (AMD): AMD FX-4350 4.2 GHz
GPU (Nvidia): Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 2GB or GTX 1050 2GB
GPU (AMD): AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB
RAM: 6GB

Destiny 2 PC recommended specs

CPU (Intel): Intel Core i5-2400 3.4 GHz or i5 7400 3.5 GHz
CPU (AMD): AMD Ryzen R5 1600X 3.6 GHz
GPU (Nvidia): Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 4GB or GTX 1060 6GB
GPU (AMD): AMD R9 390 8GB
RAM: 8GB

While you're waiting to go eyes-up on PC, make sure you read through our essential Destiny 2 tips.