Gotham Knights: release date on PS5, is Batman game on PS4, where to pre order, gameplay - and characters

It’s been nearly seven years since we got a new entry into the Arkham series of Batman video games, some of the best superhero games of modern times, and one of this writer’s all time gaming franchises.

Those games followed The Caped Crusader, dishing out vigilante justice on the many goons and crooks running amok in an open-world Gotham City.

But now, we’ve got a brand new look at the latest game in the series - though it’s one that follows an original story separate from those games - in Gotham Knights.

Here is everything you need to know about it.

What is Gotham Knights?

Batman fans might be disappointed to find out that The Dark Knight - the centerpoint of all previous Arkham games - is not included in this game... as far as we know.

Instead, Gotham Knights follows his supporting cast, and revolves around Nightwing, Batgirl, Robin, and Red Hood.

They’ve been tasked with bringing justice to Gotham City amid a period of decline following Batman’s mysterious disappearance.

While investigating, the heroes come into confrontation with the Court of Owls, a secret society as old as Gotham itself, and its legion of brainwashed assassins known as Talons.

Fans may also be disheartened to hear that the team behind the core three previous Arkham games - Rocksteady Studios - isn’t behind this one.

Instead, development duties fall to WB Games Montréal, who do have previous experience in the world of Batman through their work on the criminally underrated, Batman: Arkham Origins from 2013.

The game is an action role-playing game, once again set in an open world Gotham City which lets you play as any of its four playable characters, each with their own unique playstyle and abilities.

While the game may be played alone, it also has a two-person drop-in-drop-out cooperative multiplayer mode, in which a second player can join and leave at any moment without impacting the first.

Players can level up their characters and explore the city using vehicles such as the Batcycle.

What happens in the new trailer?

A new extended gameplay video released by Warner Bros Interactive shows Nightwing and Red Hood in Gotham Knight for the first time.

The video provides us with a peek at each hero’s distinct fighting style and open-world traversal abilities, and is narrated by Game Director Geoff Ellenor.

From Nightwing’s distinctive acrobatic combat and aerial glider to Red Hood’s twin firearm capabilities and tremendous leaping capacity, the slick gameplay is on full display.

To see the full gameplay video, click here.

When can I play it?

Gotham Knights was originally planned to be released in 202, but was later announced to be delayed until 2022.

The game is now set to be released on 25 October 2022, and will be available for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

The game was first announced with PS4 and Xbox One versions, however those have since been scrapped.

Publisher Warner Bros Interactive provided no specific reasons, other than to state that it would "provide players with the best possible gameplay experience."

Where is the best place to pre-order it?

Gotham Knights was made available for pre-order on the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store on 10 May.

Players can pre-order the Gotham Knights Standard Edition or Deluxe Edition, which contains the original game as well as the Visionary Pack DLC, which features exclusive gear, cosmetics, Beyond Suitstyle character skins inspired by the Batman Beyond animated series, and more.

The Collector’s Edition includes the Deluxe Edition, an augmented reality collectible pin, a 16-page media book, an unique Gotham City map, and a four-character statue diorama, among other things.

Pre-orders will also get the 233 Kustom Batcycle Skin at launch, which is based on the vehicle’s debut in DC’s Detective Comics #233.