Identity V Event End Dates in May 2026: The May 6 and 31 Deadline Guide You Really Need

If you only read one paragraph, let it be this one: May 6th is a much more important deadline. Most event tracking communities equate these two dates with each other, but that is not the case.

Which events in Identity V end on May 6 and May 31, 2026?

Three event branches end on May 6, one extended to May 31, and the crossover with Maltese runs separately until June 13. According to the official note to the March 26 patch, the 8th anniversary event began immediately after the technical work on that day and ends. May 6, 2026 at 23:59 server time (UTC +8) Everything except for the Echoes.

Here is what these deadlines limit:

Ends on May 6, 23:59 UTC +8:

• The main period of the 8th anniversary event (all awards for entry and progression).
• Return suit voucher (allows you to get any returning S/A rarity costume free of charge).
• 50% discount card on returning costume (two pieces are issued).
• Free access to all survivors and hunters in the game.

Ends May 31 at 23:59 UTC +8:

• Echoes discount coupon (388 Echoes discount on any S/A rarity suit, issued three pieces).

Ends later (for information):

• Costumes, pets and furniture from the Maltese crossover-June 13, 2026, 23:59
• Subevents of the celebration of the 5th anniversary on official pages in social networks-May 28, 2026.

An important nuance that is worth noting: the daily tasks "Visitor From Beyond"(Visitor From Beyond) have already ended. April 22, 2026This means that by the time you read this text in early May, you will no longer be able to accumulate new anniversary currency through daily assignments-you can only spend what you saved up before blocking May 6.

Why May 6 is the most underrated identity V deadline of 2026?

Because it is on this day that the only permanent free award in the form of a rarity suit S/A for the entire anniversary cycle is issued. Everything else in May is either a discount (which still requires spending Echoes) or a temporary advantage (free access to characters disappears at the same time).

The return suit voucher is the most valuable item NetEase gives out on this anniversary. Usually returning suits require a long accumulation of fragments, and the S rarity suit costs about 8,000 fragments in the standard essences system. The voucher gives it free. In my experience of tracking anniversary cycles, this is the only month of the year that you can guarantee to get a free S/A skin without participating in the gacha random.

If you look at a second returning suit, the math is on your side: two cards mean two suits for half price. Add this to a voucher and the attentive player can get one free S-skin and two at a significant discount on May 6-such a set of features is not available for the remaining 11 months.

And don't forget about free access to characters. From March 26 to May 6, the entire roster is available. For new players who are still collecting their collection, this is the best chance of the year to test the characters before spending Echoes.

Honestly, the community's obsession with Echoes coupon before May 31 dwarfs everything else. The coupon is just a discount on a purchase that you were most likely going to make. presentTreat them differently.

Why did the Echoes discount coupon extend until May 31?

NetEase extends the coupon until May 31 because it's a spending incentive, not a free reward-discounts only make sense when players have time to buy. The official patch notes deliberately separate these two deadlines: May 6 closes the distribution of free bonuses, and May 31 leaves the shopping window open for another 25 days.

Coupon structure: three coupons are issued, each gives 388 Echoes discount on any S/A rarity suit. For context: S-rarity suits in a regular store cost about 1888 Echoes, so a 388 discount is about 20%. Use all three coupons and you save money. 1164 Echoes - This is tangible but requires real spending.

From a design point of view, the extension is logical. The excitement around the anniversary peaks from April to early May. By mid-May NetEase wants to maintain the pace of monetization without forcing players to make hasty decisions in the last hours of May 6. An additional 25 days is a kind of "tail" of sales.

From the player's point of view, the conclusion is simple: Do not rush to spend Echoes until May 6 if you are only interested in a coupon discount. Many players mistakenly believe that all deadlines fall on the same date and make panic purchases. This is not the case. If your target is a discount S-rarity suit, you have until 23:59 May 31. Use these weeks to choose exactly the suit you need, rather than making an impulsive purchase in the heat of the holiday.

If you plan to fund Echoes account specifically for these purchases, it's time to check out courses-solutions like Reductions on Identity Vbecome really useful, since the discount on the coupon is summed up with the benefit of replenishment.

Why do so many Identity V players miss these deadlines every year?

Most complaints about missed deadlines involve three predictable errors that can be avoided. I watch three cycles of anniversaries in a row, and every June the same themes come up: "I thought I had time for the rest of the day."

Mistake 1: Confusion between local time and server time. Identity V operates on UTC +8 (Beijing time). If you are in the Pacific zone of North America, 23:59 on May 6 UTC +8 comes in 08:59 May 6 PDT - That is, you lose the deadline on the morning of May 6 local time, not in the evening. Players from Europe (CET) have time until the end of the day. 17:59 6 MayPlayers from Japan (JST) almost match the server. East Coast USA (EDT) loses access to the server. 11:59 6 May.

Mistake 2: Cut off daily tasks on April 22. Community guides confirmed that the Guest from the Outside task chain closed on April 22, well before the main May 6 deadline. Players who entered the game at the end of April thinking they had "two more weeks" found that the currency was no longer accrued. By May 6, you were only working on what you had accumulated before April 22.

Mistake 3: Mixing May 6 and May 31. Players somewhere read "anniversary ends on May 31", assume that all rewards are available until that time, and lose the voucher on May 6. The official split is clearly May 6 for free items, May 31 for coupon only, but misinformation spreads every cycle.

The fourth, little trap: Technical work. The standard Identity V service cycle may affect the last hours of the deadline. If maintenance is scheduled for the morning of May 6 or 31, your actual deadline is shortened even further. Always consider your actual deadline 12 hours ahead of the official deadline to be safe.

Identity V Deadlines Table for May 2026-All Dates in One Place

What this table actually shows: For those outside the Asia-Pacific region, the deadline of May 6 is May 6.The four-hour supply that you think you have on the evening of May 6 doesn't exist if you live in America-you'll miss it before lunch.

Comparing the Value of the Identity V Awards in May 2026-What's Really Worth Your Time?

Editorial Verdict: Nothing else this month-neither official nor community-tracked-compares to the free guaranteed S/A rarity costume. If you only do one thing in May 2026, pick up the voucher.

How to complete Identity V anniversary tasks by May 6th?

Move backwards from May 6 and consider April 22 as your real savings ceiling. Since daily tasks no longer bring in currency, your task is not to accumulate, but to optimize what is already there.

Practical plan for the last week before May 6th:

1. 7 days: Go into the game and take an inventory of the anniversary currency. Record the exact number of fragments, clues and tokens. Don't spend anything yet.
2. For 5 days. Decide which returning suit you want to receive on the voucher. Browse the list in the Event tab-Final selection, so don't choose impulsively.
3. For 4 days. If you are going to buy two extra suits, make sure you have enough Echoes. If you don't, it's time to think about replenishing your account.
4. З а з 3 д е н и я: Test characters you've never played using free access. This window closes on May 6, and try "Maine" before wasting resources is very useful.
5. In 48 hours: Use the voucher. Do not wait for the last hour-the influx of players before deadlines in past years caused server lags.
6. In 24 hours: Apply 50% discount cards to your selected costumes.
7. The last 6 hours: Final inventory check. Collect all entry rewards that may have remained in the mailbox.

F2P Player Path: Only voucher + character testing. Skip cards at a 50% discount if you don't have Echoes-without spending they are useless.

The Paying Player Path: Voucher + both cards at a 50% discount + planning of purchases Echoes for the coupon window on May 31.

Return of the player (not 3 + months): Voucher only. Discount cards require an understanding of what suits are worth shopping, and this takes time. Just pick up the free skin.

How to plan Echoes spending until May 31?

Don't spend Echoes until mid-May, don't wait for the last 48 hours. There's a temptation to hurry up, but you have three coupons and three potential purchases-distributing them over two weeks will give you time to assess if the S/A suits are worth your money.

A reasonable sequence of Echoes spending:

1. 7-14М а я: Browse the costume catalog. Choose three S/A suits you would buy for full price. The coupon turns the purchase from "maybe" to "yes" only if you really like the skin.
2. 15 - 25 May: Buy one by one, using one coupon for each suit. This will help avoid regrets about buying.
3. May 26 - 30: Use the last coupon. Avoid the last 24 hours-server load on deadlines has historically caused problems getting items.
4. The Echoes Reserve: Leave at least 2,000 Echoes in reserve for June anniversary content. Don't empty your wallet in May.

If your Echoes balance is not enough for three discounted suits, it is time to evaluate the replenishment options. Buying Echoes for Identity V is cheaper Before the coupon expires, replenishing the account in mid-May (rather than in a panic on May 30) gives time to check the enrollment and relieves stress at the last minute.

How do you check the end time of the event in the game itself?

The Events tab in the main lobby shows the countdown for each active event, but the timer uses server time (UTC +8) without conversion. This is the source of most errors.

Check the deadline:

1. Open the tab Events in the main lobby of the estate.
2. Click on the banner of a specific event (for example,"8th anniversary").
3. The countdown in the upper right corner shows the time remaining on the server time.
4. Check your time zone manually-the game does not autoconvert.
5. Set a reminder on the phone 6 hours to Deadline, not Deadline itself.

For important deadlines such as May 6, set two reminders: 24 hours in advance (for receipt) and 6 hours in advance (for final check).

My honest look after tracking three cycles of anniversaries

I will draw a conclusion that will not be written in the official patches: The May 6 deadline is about three times more important than May 31, and the community has confused priorities.

Most guides I've read treat these dates as equivalent. That's not. May 6 gives a free permanent S/A suit-the only one of its kind for the entire calendar year. May 31 gives discount coupons that still require you to spend Echoes. These are fundamentally different rewards, and equating them to each other harms new players. If you have a busy schedule and you can only choose one date, Let it be May 6th.. Point.

As for the debate over whether F2P players should spend Echoes in May or save for the June anniversary: My position is divided. Spend on the most important on May 6 (Free voucher costs nothing, so it's automatic). Skip the coupon on May 31 if you're F2P with a minimum of Echoes-the coupon value is real but depends on the availability of funds. Save Echoes for the June anniversary, where in past cycles there were more profitable sets.

A deeper problem, let's put it bluntly: choose NetEase to leave Cut off 03:59/23:59 server time Every year, players from Europe and North America skip deadlines thinking they have a few more hours. This is a solvable problem and needs to be solved.

For returning players who have not visited for months: Take the voucher and ignore everything else. The rest of the awards require context and progress that you no longer have. Don't let the volume of anniversary content overshadow a simple goal.

Frequently Asked Questions About Identity V May 2026 Deadlines

Can I pick up the awards after May 6 or 31? No. The official patch notes clearly state that both deadlines are final and do not have a grace period. Once the timer expires, the costume voucher, 50% discount cards and Echoes coupons are permanently removed from your inventory.

Which time zone uses Identity V for deadlines? Identity V is used UTC +8 (Beijing time) The end time of 23:59 means 23:59 UTC +8-for the East Coast of the United States it is 11:59 am the same day; for the West Coast it is 8:59 am; for Western Europe it is 17:59 am the same day.

Are the May 6 anniversary awards permanent or limited? However, the voucher itself, 50% discount cards and free access to characters are limited in time and will not return after May 6.

What awards will I miss if I miss the May 31st deadline? You'll lose three Echoes discount coupons of 388 Echoes each (total 1,164 Echoes potential savings) to buy S/A suits. This is a discount, not free items, so the loss is only important if you planned to spend Echoes.

Are the events of May 2026 related to an anniversary? Yes. The May 6 deadline is the end of the main period of the 8th anniversary, which began on March 26, 2026 after maintenance. The extension until May 31 only applies to the Echoes coupon as a window for spending after the anniversary.

Does the technical work extend the event deadlines? Usually not-maintenance usually takes place before the deadlines, not during them. Always consider your actual deadline a few hours ahead of the official deadline to consider possible unforeseen downtime.

Will the voucher return on the costume next year? The structure of anniversaries varies from year to year. Voucher mechanics have appeared in previous years, but pools of returning costumes change. There are no official guarantees that the same voucher format will return in 2027.

Should I rush to buy Echoes before May 6 or wait until May 31? Wait. The Echoes discount coupon is valid until May 31, so there is no need to spend Echoes until May 6. Only the free voucher and 50% discount cards expire on May 6-and the cards will not help unless you have Echoes to spend.

Conclusion: Your Identity V action plan for May 2026

Two dates in priority order: May 6, 2026 at 23:59 UTC +8 For a costume voucher, 50% discount cards and free access to characters, this is the most valuable part of the month. May 31, 2026 at 23:59 UTC +8 For three Echoes discount coupons, only relevant if you plan to spend money.

If you play daily, do both. If you are casual or returning player, pick up the voucher on May 6 and finish it-this action gives about 70% of the total value of the month in five minutes of effort. Convert deadlines to your local time before May 6, set a 6-hour reminder and do not trust the in-game timer in time zones.

After May 31, switch to June anniversary content and Maltese crossover, which will last until June 13. May cycle is preparation; June is the result.