Biomutant: reviews round-up, release date and time of game on Xbox, PS5 and PC – and when review embargo lifts

It’s been a long time coming, but Biomutant is finally here.

The new game was first revealed as long ago as 2017, and was initially expected to release in 2018.

Three years later, it’s actually arrived, and gamers will soon be able to get their hands on the long-awaited action RPG.

But just why is everybody so excited about the new game, and what can you expect if you decide to try Biomutant out for yourself?

Here is everything you need to know about it.

What is Biomutant?

Biomutant is described by its developers as “an open-world, post-apocalyptic Wung-Fu fable RPG”, with a unique martial arts-styled combat system that allows players to mix melee, shooting and mutant ability action.

The game’s pre-release press material puts a lot of emphasis on “freedom”, whether that’s in making choices in crafting the weapons you use, your on screen character, or even how you traverse the large, open playspace.

“You are free to explore the world and what lies beneath its surface, by foot, mech, jet-ski, air-balloon, or area unique mounts.,” say the developers, and “totally free when equipping your character” with gear, abilities and weapons.

Promising a game that delivers “lots of discoveries to be made, mysteries to unravel, creatures to confront, and weird characters to meet” in a “vibrant and colorful world”, Biomutant looks sure to be packed with hours of interesting gameplay.

What happens in Biomutant?

In BIomutant’s branching narrative, which features storylines where decisions made by the player decide how the story continues, the New World is struck by a natural disaster.

As poisonous oil comes up from beneath the surface and pollutes the Tree of Life, and the New World’s Tribes stand divided, in need of someone strong enough to unite.

That’s where you step in. You’ll create your own custom “Biomutant” character, a mammalian warrior that you can sculpt exactly to your liking, with attributes that can be tweaked and all have a direct impact on the statistics of the playable character during gameplay.

The Tree of Life has five roots through which it gives life to the whole world, so you’ll need to adventure to the end of each root to cleanse it in order to save the Tree.

But it’s not quite as simple as that; there are also six tribes throughout the game world that are split from their original enclave. Three of them want to heal the Tree of Life, while the three others plan to do things on their own.

Players are free to ally with any of these tribes, and can choose to take down rival clans and even the Tree of Life itself if they so wish. Through the game’s “Karma” system, the story will alter to reflect your actions, and so no two-playthroughs may ever be the same.

Is it any good?

The review embargo for Biomutant lifted at 4pm UK time on Monday 24 May, and we've got out first look at what critics think of the game.

So far, opinions on the game look mixed, with reviewers praising some aspects of the game, but not being so thrilled with others.

NME called Biomutant a “hodgepodge of ideas”, and said the game – years in the making – “feels like it needs more polish.”

Rock Paper Shotgun said “a bunch of it is fun, but some of it is clanking around getting in the way,” while Gamespot called Biomutant "a flawed mutation” in their six out of 10 review, saying “a forgettable story and uneven gameplay hold it back.”

When can I play it?

The game releases worldwide on Tuesday 25 May for PC and PlayStation and Xbox consoles.

Those playing on the next-gen games consoles (that’s the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles) will be able to take advantage of smoother frame rates and upscaled revolution at launch.

Unfortunately, there will be no “native” version of the game for the newer machines, but the developers have announced that PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions will be released at a later date, which are expected to deliver visual upgrades only possible on more recent hardware.

Where can I buy it?

At the time of writing, the cheapest places we could find to order Biomutant were as follows.

The game is available for just £39.85 from Base.com for both Xbox and PlayStation players.

PC players can grab the game from CD Keys for £32.99.

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