Aion 2: What to Actually Do Before September 30

Four things, in order: clear 100 GB on an SSD, uninstall the Steam Playtest app if you took part in the test, expect a one-time card check the first time you pay, and don't wait for a pre-load date — none has been published.

None of these are hard. All four are the kind of thing that costs you the first evening of a five-day head start if you find out about them at 11pm on September 29.

1. Clear 100 GB, on an SSD

Both the minimum and the recommended spec rows list the same figure, so there's no cheaper tier to aim at. NCSoft lists an SSD as recommended rather than required, but this is a streamed open-world game built around flight — treat it as required. Full breakdown on the system requirements page.

2. On Steam, the test app will not become the game

The Launch Scale Test ran as a separate app entry, a Playtest app rather than the retail client. It does not update into the full game. If you installed it, you have to uninstall it and download Aion 2 separately before September 30. PURPLE users have no extra step.

This one is easy to miss because the test app and the real thing sit next to each other in a Steam library and look alike.

3. Your first payment comes with a card check

NCSoft published a "One-time Verification Process" notice on July 22, 2026 covering a step that catches people out, and it's worth knowing before you reach checkout rather than during it.

Your first payment may redirect you to your card issuer's 3D Secure page (Visa, Mastercard, AMEX and JCB are named). The provider then places a small pending authorization on your card, and you prove the card is yours by reading that exact amount off your own bank records and typing it back in. If you don't know where your bank shows pending authorizations, this looks exactly like a failed purchase. It isn't.

The published limits are strict:

Three attempts. Three wrong entries and the payment is cancelled automatically by the provider's fraud detection. Not recoverable by retrying the same session.
Three hours. The amount is valid for that window only. Miss it and you start a new payment to get a fresh one.
The pending charge reverses. Cancel and refunded immediately on success; unused authorizations cancel automatically after three hours. How fast it actually disappears from your statement depends on your bank.
Gift and prepaid cards are not supported. Debit cards are, with sufficient funds.

The practical version: open your banking app, online banking, SMS alerts or email notifications and confirm you can see pending authorizations before you start. Don't begin the payment and then go hunting while a three-hour clock runs.

If it still fails, NCSoft routes it to the payment provider's support rather than to Aion 2 support. The same applies if the authorization landed in a currency other than USD — the verification screen has a currency dropdown, and if yours isn't listed, that's a provider-side matter.

4. There is no pre-load date to wait for

No pre-load date or server-open clock time has been published for the launch client. Publishers usually open pre-loading a day or two before a head start begins, but nothing has been confirmed here — which is a reason to have the space cleared early, not a reason to keep refreshing the store page.

And buy on the platform you'll actually play on

Pack access is locked to the platform you purchased on, and there's no upgrade path on Steam. If you intend to play through PURPLE, buy there. See the Founder's Pack tier comparison for what each one contains.

The dates underneath all of this: Founder's Pack holders go in on September 30, 2026, everyone else on October 5, 2026. Payment methods and pack contents can change before the window closes — check the store page before you buy.