Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest comes out today, October 23, 2026, on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC. Its release time depends on the store: the US PlayStation and Xbox listings unlock at 04:00 UTC (midnight ET, or 9 PM PT on October 22), and Steam unlocks at 16:00 UTC (9 AM PT). The Standard Edition is $29.99 everywhere and the Feral Edition is $39.99 on consoles. At 03:45 UTC every version still showed as a pre-order, so nobody has played the full game yet.
This is the first Warrior Cats video game for consoles and PC. Publisher Trailmark Games made it with Coolabi, the company behind the Erin Hunter books, and Bamtang Games developed it. Below are the unlock times for each store, what each edition actually contains, how the Switch and Switch 2 versions differ, and some first tips taken from the official descriptions. Store data was checked on October 23, 2026, between 03:40 and 03:50 UTC.
Table of Contents
Quick answer: Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest launch facts
- Release date: October 23, 2026, digital on every platform.
- Release time: 04:00 UTC on PS5 and Xbox (US store listings), 16:00 UTC on Steam. The Nintendo eShop lists the date but no time.
- Price: $29.99 Standard, $39.99 Feral Edition (Steam sells the Feral bundle for $39.58). In the UK it’s £24.99 and £34.99, according to TheSixthAxis.
- Feral Edition extras: the Prophecy Pack, which is all cosmetic: cat creator items, wearables, a cel-shaded skin and photo mode extras. You can also buy it separately for $14.99.
- Pre-order bonus: the Purrfect Look Pack, for digital pre-orders only. Nintendo’s cutoff is 12:00 AM PDT on October 23 (07:00 UTC).
- Switch vs Switch 2: two separate eShop products at the same price. We found no upgrade pack listed. The Switch 2 listing adds HDR output and a larger download.
- Physical: the PS5 and Switch boxed copies launch today. The Xbox Series X physical edition slipped to November 3.
Battles run up to three cats against three, with 75 moves to unlock. Image: Trailmark Games
Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest release time: what time does it come out?
The game unlocks at different times on different stores. The console times below come from the release timestamps in the US store data. Microsoft’s catalog and the PlayStation Store page both say 2026-10-23T04:00Z. The Steam time is from Steam’s own store data for app 3960600.
| Platform | Unlock (UTC) | US Eastern | US Pacific |
|---|---|---|---|
| PS5 (US store) | Oct 23, 04:00 | Oct 23, 12:00 AM | Oct 22, 9:00 PM |
| Xbox Series X|S and Windows (Microsoft Store, US) | Oct 23, 04:00 | Oct 23, 12:00 AM | Oct 22, 9:00 PM |
| Steam (PC) | Oct 23, 16:00 | Oct 23, 12:00 PM | Oct 23, 9:00 AM |
| Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 (US eShop) | Oct 23 (no time listed; the pre-order bonus window closes at 07:00 UTC) | ||
| Epic Games Store | Oct 23, per the September 1 announcement (the store page blocked our check, so no time confirmed) | ||
Outside the US, PlayStation and Xbox often unlock at local midnight, so your own store page is the final word. If you’re on PC and want to play earlier, the Microsoft Store version unlocks 12 hours before Steam. The Xbox listing is tagged Xbox Play Anywhere, so one purchase there covers both console and Windows.
Editions and prices: Standard vs Feral Edition
Here’s what each edition costs in the US stores, checked October 23, 03:40-03:50 UTC. There’s no launch discount on any of them.
| Store | Standard | Feral Edition | Prophecy Pack (DLC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| PlayStation Store (PS5) | $29.99 | $39.99 | Included in Feral |
| Microsoft Store (Xbox, Windows) | $29.99 | $39.99 | Listed, price not shown yet |
| Nintendo eShop (Switch) | $29.99 | $39.99 | $14.99 |
| Nintendo eShop (Switch 2) | $29.99 | $39.99 | $14.99 |
| Steam | $29.99 | $39.58 (bundle of game + pack) | $14.99 |
Microsoft’s listing says the Feral Edition is “the full game plus the Prophecy Pack”, and the store pages list what that pack contains:
- 8 accessories for the cat creator
- 12 wearable accessories
- A cel-shaded skin for characters
- 4 cat poses for photo mode
- 4 photo mode effects
None of that changes the story or combat, so whether the $10 is worth it comes down to how much you like dressing up your cat. If you’re not sure, you can start with the Standard Edition: the Prophecy Pack is sold on its own at $14.99 on Steam and the eShop, so Feral saves you $5 only if you know you want the pack.
The Purrfect Look Pack pre-order bonus
Anyone who pre-orders either edition from a digital store gets the Purrfect Look Pack. According to the Microsoft Store description, it adds a puffy tail, intense eyes, lightning-bolt whiskers, a unique fur pattern and a set of distinctive ears to the cat creator. That listing calls it “four elements” in one line and “five new elements” in another. Trailmark Games posted on October 22 that it was the “last chance” to get the pack, and the US eShop says purchases made by 12:00 AM PDT on October 23 qualify. If you want the bonus on Switch, order before 07:00 UTC.
Physical editions and the Xbox delay
The Feral Edition is also sold at retail. On October 22 Trailmark said that because of “a production issue outside of our control”, the Xbox Series X physical edition will now release on November 3. The digital game still launches today on all platforms, and so do the PS5 and Nintendo Switch boxed copies.
Warrior Cats on Switch vs Switch 2: which should you buy?
Nintendo sells two separate versions: a Switch game and a Switch 2 game, each $29.99 (or $39.99 for Feral). Neither US eShop page lists an upgrade pack or upgrade price. Trailmark hasn’t announced resolution or frame-rate targets for either version, so all we have is what the store listings say:
| Listing detail (US eShop) | Nintendo Switch version | Nintendo Switch 2 version |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $29.99 / $39.99 Feral | $29.99 / $39.99 Feral |
| Estimated download | About 1.3 GB | About 2.8 GB |
| HDR output | Not listed | Yes, on compatible TVs |
| Play modes | TV, tabletop, handheld | TV, tabletop, handheld |
| Players | Single player | Single player |
| Cloud saves | Need Nintendo Switch Online | Need Nintendo Switch Online |
| Upgrade path listed | None found on October 23 | |
Our take: if you own a Switch 2, buy the Switch 2 version. It costs the same, it’s built for the newer hardware, and it’s the only version that lists HDR. The Switch version makes sense if you only own an original Switch, or if you share a family library with someone who does.
Is Warrior Cats on PS5, Xbox and Steam Deck?
- PS5: yes, PS5 only (no PS4 version is listed).
- Xbox: Xbox Series X|S, with an Xbox Play Anywhere tag. The listing claims 4K, HDR, 60 fps and Optimized for Xbox Series X|S. The download is about 3.8 GB on console and 3.4 GB on Windows.
- Steam: Windows only, with 4 GB of storage. The minimum is a GTX 1060 or RX 580, a quad-core 2.8 GHz CPU and 8 GB of RAM. It supports achievements, trading cards, Steam Cloud and full controller support. Valve rates it Playable on Steam Deck, not Verified.
- Languages: English has full audio. French, Italian, German, Spanish and Dutch have text.
The cat creator covers fur, pattern, markings and even separate eye colors. Image: Trailmark Games
First tips for Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest
Since nobody has played the full game yet, these tips come from the official store description, the September 1 announcement (full text at Worthplaying) and Trailmark’s Clan posts. They’ll help you make the choices you can’t undo early on.
1. Choose your Clan for the story, not just the look
You pick one of four Clans before you start, and each one has its own story campaign. In the Steam description, Prophecy Mode is “four original stories about the trials and tribulations of Clan life”, and the press release says Erin Hunter wrote four new storylines for the game. Trailmark’s Clan reveals from October 20-21 sum each one up like this:
| Clan | Camp | Known for (official) | Story hint from Trailmark |
|---|---|---|---|
| ThunderClan | Rocky hollow | Tenacity, strength, skilled hunters | Dense forests; “the path of fire” |
| RiverClan | Along a river | Swimming, grace, hunting fish | Crossing its waters leads to The Island |
| WindClan | Open grass | Strength, speed, endurance | Open moors and the route to The Moonpool |
| ShadowClan | Dense pines in a marsh | Stealth, loyalty, tough hunters | “Rumor has it, they’re the most feared Clan” |
Because the stories are tied to the Clans, you’ll need to play through again with other Clans to see all four. TheSixthAxis suggested the same when the game was announced.
2. Take your time in the cat creator
According to Trailmark, the creator has “millions” of combinations: fur patterns, colors, tails, whiskers, ears, eyes and markings. The screenshot above also shows separate eye colors. The official pages don’t say whether you can change your cat’s look later, so pick a look you’ll be happy with for a full campaign.
3. Learn the combat basics: stances, weaknesses and ancestor attacks
Fights are turn-based, with up to 3 versus 3 battles. You collect up to 75 combat moves. The announcement says to “exploit enemy weaknesses”, “experiment with combat stances” and use ancestor attacks “granted by StarClan”. Enemies range from mice and squirrels up to badgers, foxes, Dobermanns and rival Clan cats. Wait to test the strongest moves until you’ve unlocked a few, and keep track of which enemy types each move works best against.
4. Forage everything and keep your den stocked
The materials you forage are used to craft items in your den, such as bedding and scratching posts, and you unlock decorations as you play. You can also visit friends’ camps asynchronously online and help them out by crafting items or gifting resources. So any extra materials you gather can go to your friends.
5. Know the three modes
- Prophecy Mode: the four Clan story campaigns.
- Defender Mode: a single run against the game’s toughest enemies, to see how long you last.
- Skirmish Mode: asynchronous online battles against other players’ cats.
Exploration takes your cat beyond the forest, including farmland like this. Image: Trailmark Games
6. Expect a different run each time
The Steam page says “no two playthroughs are the same” because characters, quests and stories are procedurally generated. Your choices also shape your relationships and reputation within the Clans. So guides that walk you step by step through quests may not match your game. Look for tips about systems, like combat and crafting, instead.
7. Set your lore expectations
The store listing promises 9 cats from the books, six locations (the four Clan territories, The Moonpool and The Island) and an original cast. Players on the Steam forums ask about mates, kits and medicine cat roles, but neither the official description nor Trailmark’s posts mention any of them. Don’t count on those until early players report back.
Are there reviews yet?
Not as of 03:50 UTC on October 23. The Steam page had no user reviews, and Nintendo Life and Time Extension had no review scores yet. Before launch, the Steam page passed 200,000 wishlists, Trailmark said on October 21. On October 22 the studio also posted a letter from Vicky Holmes, the original “Erin Hunter”, about bringing the series to games. If you’re on the fence about the $29.99, wait a day or two for player reviews. The pre-order bonus deadline is the only thing that rewards buying early.
Looking for more to play this season? See our best cozy games on Switch 2, the cozy games releasing in November 2026, our upcoming cozy games calendar through winter and this week’s new Switch 2 games with prices and sizes.
FAQ
Is Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest out yet?
It comes out on October 23, 2026. The US PS5 and Xbox versions unlock at 04:00 UTC and Steam at 16:00 UTC. Nintendo lists only the date.
How much is Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest?
It’s $29.99 for the Standard Edition and $39.99 for the Feral Edition, which adds the cosmetic Prophecy Pack. On Steam the Feral bundle costs $39.58, and the pack on its own costs $14.99.
Is there a free Switch 2 upgrade?
None is listed. As of October 23, the Switch and Switch 2 versions are separate $29.99 products, and Nintendo’s US eShop doesn’t list an upgrade pack for either one.
Is Warrior Cats: Clans of the Forest multiplayer?
It’s a single-player game with asynchronous online features. You can visit friends’ camps, gift them resources, and fight other players’ cats in Skirmish Mode. There’s no listed local or live online co-op.
Sources: Steam store page and Steam announcements; PlayStation Store; Microsoft Store; Nintendo eShop US listings for the Switch and Switch 2 versions; Trailmark Games on X; RPG Site; Worthplaying; TheSixthAxis. Store data checked October 23, 2026, 03:40-03:50 UTC.
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Featured image: AI-generated illustration
