Can you pre-load Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree?

Shadow of the Erdtree, the highly anticipated upcoming DLC for Elden Ring is just a few weeks away from its release. While Bandai Namco Entertainment and FromSoftware have been tight-lipped when it comes to revealing information about the upcoming expansion, the file size and pre-order details have been unearthed by fans online.

According to PlayStation Game Size on X, Shadow of the Erdtree is roughly 16 GB in size, which is quite small for a modern AAA DLC, especially for an open-world game as expansive as Elden Ring. Alongside the DLC's file size, details on the pre-order bonuses are also available on all platforms.

With the expansion's looming release date, some players might be wondering whether they can pre-load the expansion on their platform of choice, ahead of its release. While pre-loading is usually available for most titles on consoles and PCs, that isn't the case for DLCs.

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Is pre-load available for Elden Ring's upcoming Shadow of the Erdtree DLC?

Since DLCs and expansions are part of the base game, instead of being a standalone experience, pre-loading them separately from the base game isn't possible in most cases. However, according to PlayStation Game Size (@PlaystationSize) on X, Shadow of the Erdtree will be available to pre-load, at least on consoles.

The pre-load for the expansion is reportedly scheduled to go live on June 19, 2024, just 48 hours before the official release date. However, for PC players, as of writing this article, the pre-load isn't confirmed for the upcoming Elden Ring expansion.

While pre-loading isn't necessary, getting it done and downloading the expansion to your console means you can jump right into the action right when it is released. Downloading Shadow of the Erdtree shouldn't take too long, regardless.

Much like Dark Souls 3's Ashes of Ariandel and The Ringed City DLCs, Shadow of the Erdtree is just a fraction of Elden Ring's base game's size, coming at nearly 16.50 GB in file size. This isn't surprising, considering the base game is already small in terms of file size, not even surpassing 50 gigabytes.

FromSoftware has been quite efficient when it comes to file size and compression, with most of its titles staying well under the 50-gigabyte mark, despite featuring nearly 100+ hours of content. Even Sekiro Shadows Die Twice, which features a campaign that is roughly 25-30 hours long and a semi-open world, has a file size of 13 GB.