New World AFK timer: how long can you remain inactive before getting kicked?
Inactive New World players are being kicked to make room for people who've been queuing — so how long a break can you take?
How long is New World's AFK timer? Amazon's gigantic new MMO New World has had quite a launch — with players reporting hours-long queue times in the first weeks before they can even set foot on the island of Aeternum. Amazon have promised more and bigger servers will be added to handle the demand.
Meantime, though, if you've been lucky enough to get into the game, you might be reluctant to log out again until you're sure you're done playing — but idle players get booted if they remain inactive for too long. So exactly how long do you have before New World's AFK timer kicks you?
How long is New World's AFK timer?
With the release of New World's 1.0.1 patch, the AFK timer has been reduced to 20 minutes, which is slightly down from the 25 minutes you had at launch. You'll now see a warning timer appear after 15 minutes of inactivity, and will be disconnected automatically once your 20 minutes are up. The patch notes also mention that additional measures have been taken to prevent AFK players from trying to avoid detection, though the devs decline to go into specifics of how this was being done.
20 minutes is still a pretty generous AFK timer as MMOs go — for most people that should hopefully be enough time for a bathroom break, hot beverage prepration, and/or a quick snack, though you'd have to be quite impressive to fit in a full meal in that time. It's also plenty of time to take the 5-10 minute screen break that's recommended for every hour of video gaming you do.
At the risk of sounding like your mum, be sure to take care of yourself — even though it's definitely a euphoric moment when you finally reach the front of that queue. Make the most of your time with the game but also be sure to carve out some proper time to eat, sleep, stay hydrated, and rest your eyes occasionally — New World definitely isn't going anywhere after it shot to the top of the Steam charts within its first couple of days.
Why not use your time waiting in those queues to brush up on your New World knowledge with the help of our beginners' tips and tricks and best character builds guides, so you can hit the ground running once you get in? And, once you're ready to call it a day, exit the game in confidence with the help of our guide to saving your progress in New World.