Evolve Xbox One pre-orders get 'instant access' to 5 characters

Players who pre-order Evolve on Xbox One will get instant access to the game's third Monster and third tier of Hunters - in both the upcoming beta and at launch. What if you don't want to pre-order the game? Well, it sounds like you'll just have to unlock the other characters first.

If you haven't been following the news, said monster is the ethereal Wraith, while Parnell, Abe, Caira, and Cabot each put a new spin on the game's four established Hunter classes. Players start out with access to the first tier of characters (one Monster and four Hunters) and can then unlock access to more through an in-game progression system.

Developer Turtle Rock has said that progression system is meant to let players get accustomed to each role as they expand the roster - after which they can settle on their favorites. A little odd, then, to short circuit part of the game's design as a pre-order incentive... but at least it's relatively innocuous.

The next Evolve beta event will open on Xbox One from January 15 through 19, with access to the monster-fleeing Evacuation Mode opening on January 17. 2K announced earlier this week that the game has been finalized, so barring any catastrophic monster uprisings it should hit PC, PS4, and Xbox One worldwide on February 10.

All platform pre-orders will also be rewarded with a free copy of the Monster Expansion Pack, which adds a fourth Monster and the Savage Goliath skin. If you don't pre-order, you'll need to buy it separately for $14.99 (UK pricing TBA).

Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.