Resident Evil 3 is breaking its South African release date a week early (Update: Not anymore)

Update: BT Games has rolled back on releasing Resident Evil 3 physical editions a week early. You’ll have to wait until the lockdown ends before you can grab your return ticket to Raccoon City.

The official release date of Resident Evil 3 is 3 April 2020 and not today as was communicated in our newsletter yesterday. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Come midnight on Thursday night, South Africa is heading into a lockdown to help combat against the Coronavirus that is wreaking havoc across the world. The rules are simple: Unless you need to buy essential medical supplies and food, fill up your car or you work in several exempt service fields, you need to stay home. No going to parties, no socialising and dammit Karen yes that means you need to avoid going for a jog for the next three weeks.

On a list of priorities, video games are nowhere near the top. We’re fortunate in that regard, as the digital nature of today means that we can have any game we want downloaded within a few hours thanks to our expansive internet structure. The future is digital, but many of us still prefer to buy our games physically.

With a three week lockdown in effect soon, that means that April’s heaviest hitters won’t be changing hands over a store counter. Well, unless you’re prepared to risk your health on Thursday just so that you can break a street date. In an email sent out from BT Games, the local video game supply chain has confirmed that Resident Evil 3 and Persona 5 Royal and the LEGO Marvel Collection will be sold on Thursday March 26.

So there you go, one last chance to grab some good games before you need to stay inside and grab all the Reddit and YouTube klout points in the process if you’re that sort of chap. Not that I’d do that, because I’m too paranoid to venture outside and grab one of those games lest I find myself in a local version of Raccoon City after a C-virus outbreak.

Last Updated: March 25, 2020