How to play Pokemon Legends: Arceus early

Pokemon Legends: Arceus is nearly here, but some players can’t wait to get their hands on it. After all, fans have highly anticipated it for months, as it’s a vast open-world full of Pokemon like Zorua and Zoroark.

For those who don’t mind jumping through a few hoops, Pokemon Legends: Arceus can be played early, before its release date. It takes some location trickery, not to mention creating a whole new Nintendo account.

But if that’s what you are willing to go through to enjoy the game before everyone else, here’s how it works.

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Pokemon Legends: Arceus — How to get early access

In some games, changing your timezone might give you an advantage in one way or another. Pokemon OR/AS, for example, had this trick, which allowed players to catch Pokemon ahead of schedule. However, for Pokemon Legends: Arceus, you have to go further.

Instead of changing your timezone, you have to change the region your Nintendo eShop is listed in. That also means creating a new Nintendo eShop account. Changing the area and using your main account won’t work; it defaults to the region the account is set to.

Step 1: Create a new Nintendo eShop account. Set the region to Australia or New Zealand, a place that speaks a language you’re comfortable with.

Step 2: Go to System, then Region using your Nintendo Switch. Choose the region that matches what your new Nintendo account is set to.

Step 3: Accept the End-User License Agreement.

Step 4: Open the Nintendo eShop using your alternative account and purchase the game digitally.

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When will the game release in your timezone?

Fans will finally get to play Pokemon Legends: Arceus when the clock strikes midnight on January 28 in their region. However, since everyone is in a different timezone, here’s a helpful list:

• New Zealand: GMT+13
• Australia, East Coast: GMT+11
• Japan: GMT+9
• China: GMT+8
• Moscow: GMT+3
• South Africa: GMT+2
• United Kingdom: GMT+0
• Brazil: GMT-3
• United States, East Coast: GMT-5
• United States, West Coast: GMT-8

If you are sensitive to spoilers, it would be advantageous to avoid social media for the last remaining hours before the game’s release.