Starting next week, players will be able to dive in to the multiplayer mayhem and madness of Blizzard's new team-based shooter Overwatch, while those itching to play the game right at launch will get the bonus of being able to pick the game up one day early for preparation.

Multiple retailers such as Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop, and others have begun notifying customers this week that Overwatch will be available for players to purchase or pickup their copies beginning on May 23rd, 2016 - one day before the game's official release on May 24th, 2016.

In a statement to GameSpot, Blizzard confirmed that the game's availability one day prior to release at retailers is intended for players to install/prepare the game for launch, as the game won't be playable until server activation on its release (May 24).

Blizzard explained that "we would like for all of the players to be ready to dive straight into the action when the servers go live, so retailers are going to begin selling the game when their stores open on May 23rd." The early availability extends to physical copies of the game for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, while players that digitally pre-ordered the game will be able to preload the game ahead of its launch next week.

Overwatch releases for PS4, Xbox One, and PC on May 24th, 2016, but copies of the game will be in stores one day earlier (May 23) to prepare for launch.