Mouse: P.I. For Hire unlocks this week – here’s the exact time on every platform

Mouse: P.I. For Hire isn’t just another indie shooter quietly slipping onto Steam at midnight. It’s getting a coordinated, global launch with precise unlock times across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch 2 – and, notably, it’s leaving last-gen players on the bench at first.

If you’ve seen the black-and-white 1930s cartoon trailers and already decided you’re in, the important part is simple: when and where can you actually play, and which version makes the most sense to grab on day one?

Key takeaways

• Release date: Mouse: P.I. For Hire launches digitally worldwide on April 16, 2026.
• Platforms at launch: PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. No PS4, Xbox One, or original Switch version on day one.
• Exact unlock time: Digital versions unlock simultaneously worldwide at roughly 15:00 UTC, which is 17:00 in Spain (peninsular time).
• Later ports: the developers have talked about bringing Mouse: P.I. to last-gen hardware and older Switch later, but there are no confirmed dates for those yet.

Release date: April 16, 2026 – and it’s a true global drop

The date is locked: Mouse: P.I. For Hire goes live on April 16, 2026. Developer Fumi Games and publisher PlaySide Studios are treating this like a proper event, not a staggered indie drip-feed. Digital storefronts across PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Switch 2 are all set to unlock at the same moment worldwide.

Spanish outlet Vandal confirmed that the game unlocks at 17:00 (5pm) peninsular time in Spain on April 16. That puts the global unlock at roughly 15:00 UTC, and everything else lines up from there.

One important detail: this is a digital-first launch. Physical editions are planned – they’ve been mentioned in European coverage – but there’s no firm retail date yet. If you want to walk into a store and grab a boxed copy, you’ll be waiting a bit longer.

Platforms: current-gen first, last-gen later (maybe)

At launch, Mouse: P.I. For Hire is coming to:

• PC – via Steam
• PlayStation 5
• Xbox Series X|S
• Nintendo Switch 2

There’s no day-one support for:

• PlayStation 4
• Xbox One
• Original Nintendo Switch

This is where it gets a bit messy. Some early listings and coverage in Europe referenced PS4, Xbox One and the original Switch as platforms. More recent information from Fumi Games and PlaySide, plus updated platform breakdowns, make it clear the focus is current-gen and PC only at launch.

The studio has talked about wanting to bring Mouse: P.I. to last-gen later, and outlets like Vandal note a broader platform list in the future. But right now, there are no concrete dates, and no guarantee performance compromises won’t be severe on older hardware. Treat those versions as “maybe later” rather than something to plan around.

That current-gen focus tracks with what the game is trying to do. You’re looking at a noir FPS with heavy style – stark black-and-white visuals, thick outlines, jazz soundtrack – and a full single-player campaign that indie site Into Indie Games pegs at around 20 hours across roughly 20 story levels, with light metroidvania-style backtracking. It’s not the most hardware-punishing thing on the market, but hitting smooth performance on all that animation and post-processing still isn’t trivial on decade-old consoles.

Exact unlock time by region

Because Mouse: P.I. For Hire unlocks simultaneously worldwide, your local time just depends on where you are. Using the confirmed 17:00 (5pm) peninsular Spain time as reference, here’s when you can start your career as a tiny noir detective:

• US West Coast (PT): 08:00 – April 16
• US East Coast (ET): 11:00 – April 16
• UK (BST): 16:00 – April 16
• Central Europe (CEST, incl. Spain, France, Germany): 17:00 – April 16
• Eastern Europe (EEST): 18:00 – April 16
• Brazil (BRT): 12:00 (noon) – April 16
• India (IST): 20:30 – April 16
• China (CST): 23:00 – April 16
• Japan / South Korea (JST / KST): 00:00 – April 17
• Australia East (AEST): 01:00 – April 17

If your platform supports preloading – more on that in a second – the game should simply unlock at that time. Otherwise, expect the usual day-one crush on downloads around those hours, especially on Switch 2 where that IGN trailer has been doing the rounds.

Switch 2, performance targets, and file sizes

Nintendo Life pulled performance targets directly from the developers for the Switch 2 version, and the numbers are surprisingly ambitious for a smaller team:

• Handheld mode
  • Performance: 900p / 60fps
  • Quality: 1260p / 30fps
• Docked mode
  • Performance: 1080p / 60fps
  • Quality: 1440p / 40fps

For a noir shooter leaning heavily on clean line art and high-contrast lighting, those targets make sense: resolution matters, but the feel of the gunplay and movement lives or dies on framerate. A 60fps performance option on a handheld for a stylish FPS like this is exactly what you want to see.

On Switch 2, Mouse: P.I. For Hire will require around 15 GB of storage, according to Nintendo Life. Expect PC, PS5, and Xbox Series to land in a similar ballpark, give or take compression differences and platform overheads. This isn’t a micro-indie – it’s a full, voiced, story-driven campaign (with talent like Troy Baker in the cast) and enough custom animation work to justify that space.

Preloads, physical editions, and what’s still unknown

Here’s what we don’t have locked down yet, and what you should realistically expect.

• Preload availability: As of the latest info, Fumi Games and PlaySide haven’t publicly laid out preload timings per platform. Larger indies often get preloads on PS5 and Xbox Series a couple of days before launch, with PC and Switch varying by region and storefront. If you’re on console and pre-ordering digitally, assume a preload window is likely but check your specific store page a day or two before.
• Physical release date: Multiple outlets mention a planned physical edition. There’s no official global retail date yet, and no confirmation on whether it lands everywhere at once or rolls out territory by territory. If you care about a boxed copy, treat April 16 as “digital only” for now.
• Last-gen port details: The team has referenced future versions for PS4, Xbox One, and the original Switch. There’s no performance guidance, no screenshots, and no timeline. Given how clean the visual style looks on current-gen, it’s not hard to imagine some ugly compromises to get it running on 2013-era hardware.

This is the bit marketing usually hand-waves away, but it matters if you’re budget-conscious or stuck on older hardware: the only versions you can actually plan around today are PC, PS5, Xbox Series, and Switch 2 on April 16. Everything else is a “maybe later” promise.

Which version should you actually buy?

Once you know when you can play, the next question is where you should play, especially if you own multiple systems.

• PC (Steam): Safest bet if you’ve got the hardware. Fumi’s previous work and the overall scope here suggest Mouse: P.I. For Hire won’t be particularly demanding, but you’ll almost certainly get the highest resolutions, cleanest anti-aliasing, and fastest loading here, plus future mod potential if the community cares enough.
• PS5 / Xbox Series X|S: If you want couch play with no tweaking, these will likely be the most consistent experiences. Expect 60fps modes and high dynamic resolutions that do justice to the art style. If you’re sensitive to input latency or aiming with a stick, current-gen controllers plus good performance should be fine for what is, by most accounts, a fairly measured shooter with investigation elements rather than a pure twitch arena game.
• Switch 2: The pitch here is obvious: noir detective work on the go. With a 60fps handheld performance mode and that 15GB footprint, this looks like a strong portable version, not an afterthought. If you’re primarily a handheld player, this is likely the version to beat.

Unless your PC is ancient, I’d rank the platforms like this for day one: PC or PS5/Xbox Series first, Switch 2 a very close second depending on how much you value handheld play, and “wait and see” on last-gen entirely until the developers actually show those builds running.

What to watch next

• By April 15–16: Check your platform’s store page for preload timings and final file sizes. That’ll tell you how early you need to start downloading to be ready at unlock.
• Launch week: Pay attention to performance reports from actual players on PS5, Xbox Series, and especially Switch 2. If the 60fps modes hold up, that makes the current-gen-only call look smart.
• Post-launch: Watch for a formal announcement on physical editions and any concrete dates for PS4/Xbox One/OG Switch ports. If those stay vague for months, assume they’re lower priority or potentially in trouble.

TL;DR

Mouse: P.I. For Hire gets a simultaneous global digital launch on April 16, 2026, hitting PC (Steam), PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2 all at roughly 15:00 UTC (17:00 in Spain). The game is skipping PS4, Xbox One, and original Switch at launch, with those versions only tentatively planned for later. If you want in on day one, pick your platform now, clear ~15GB of space, and be ready when it unlocks in your region’s slot on that global schedule.