AION 2 Global is almost at Advanced Access, and the most consistent current timing points to 13:00 UTC on September 30 for Founder’s Pack players. That converts to 6:00 AM PDT, 9:00 AM EDT, 3:00 PM CEST, 9:00 PM in China/Taiwan and 10:00 PM in Japan/Korea.
Steam’s release data also points to 13:00 UTC for the October 5 free-to-play launch. Several launch trackers updated on September 28 now show the same hour for both openings.
Why a final check is still sensible
There is one reason not to treat every third-party countdown as immutable: public pages are not completely consistent about whether NC has separately published both clock times in a standalone announcement. The October 5 Steam timestamp is clear, while the September 30 hour has been surfaced through launch tracking and related NC timing information.
For anyone planning to log in the moment servers open, the practical approach is to prepare around 13:00 UTC while still checking the Steam or PURPLE client and NC’s latest notice shortly before the window. MMO launch schedules can move if operations require it.
Pre-download adds another timing factor
NC’s September 28 pre-download notice says the downloaded client files remain encrypted until September 30. Decryption is not a reinstall, but the time it takes varies with the PC. Players who already downloaded the client should therefore allow extra time before the expected opening rather than launching at the final minute.
This article concerns the Steam / PURPLE Global service only. Korea and Taiwan operate on separate live-service schedules.
Sources: AION 2 Steam release data, NC’s September 28 “Pre-download Available Now” notice, and AION2 Hub’s September 28 launch-time update.