GAME Finally Closes, The Era of Midnight Releases Is Over

If you’re a gamer of a certain age, you may remember midnight releases being what felt like a huge event in the 2000s and 2010s.

As we reported earlier this week, it looks like the last speck of hope for midnight launches has dissipated following the closure of GAME’s standalone stores.

The retailer will still effectively practice business as concessions in Sports Direct and House of Fraser stores, which currently have 200 positions.

However, it seems like midnight launches are going to be a thing of the past as a result of this, which is a bit of a shame considering 2026 is seeing the launch of GTA VI, a game with an immeasurable amount of hype surrounding it.

I Miss Midnight Launches And I Don't Think They're Ever Coming Back

I remember standing outside in the freezing cold rain one evening in Stoke-on-Trent, waiting in a moderately-sized queue outside GAME for the midnight release of Halo 3.

My nose was freezing over and my legs were tired after standing for hours, but it was worth it to be among the first to play Halo 3 when I could finally get my hands on it.

And standing around for most of the evening, chatting with other Halo fans while the store blares out a badly-pitched version of the Halo theme over its speakers?

Truly an experience we’ve lost to time.

At least, that's what my 13-year-old self believed. Nowadays, I’d probably choose sleep over anything else.

Nowadays, with the prevalence of digital releases and instant access, including early access for deluxe edition pre-orders that so many games have now, the idea of the midnight launch has effectively died.

Especially since most games on Steam tend to launch at around 6PM here in the UK, a more bedtime-friendly approach to releases, I must say.

And on console, even with a disc copy, you usually need to install a huge amount of data and a Day 1 patch before you can play.

This footage from not-my Halo launch event is a nostalgic blast from the blast. Man, I miss it.

I can’t say I’ve even heard of a recent midnight launch since before COVID-19, at least here in the United Kingdom.

They effectively died off with the reduction in physical game spending, and it feels like we’ve lost an important aspect of communal hype surrounding every new game that comes out.

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I guess Discord launch parties and Twitch streams might be the digital equivalent of what modern midnight launches look like.

Certainly not the same, but you still get that communal aspect out of it, even if the communities are much smaller, and feel a lot more organised.

Do you remember the joy of midnight releases?