Hogwarts Legacy early access and preload timing for all regions revealed

Hogwarts Legacy has a lot of hype riding behind it as we near its launch on February 10, 2023. Interestingly, owners of the Deluxe Edition will be able to download and play the game three days before launch. Much to players' delight, we have finally received precise timings to dive into Avalanche Software's new magical world.

For the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S platforms, Hogwarts Legacy: Deluxe Edition will become playable at midnight local time on February 7. This indicates parity across all regions, with players only needing to keep an eye on their time zones. PC owners, meanwhile, will have to wait until 10 am PST/1 pm EST/11:30 pm IST for the same.

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Can players already begin preloading Hogwarts Legacy?

On PlayStation 5, preloading will go live on Sunday, February 5, 2023. Meanwhile, Xbox Series X|S players have been greenlit already and can begin preloading the game immediately. Unfortunately, PC players will be sitting this one out as there is no preloading on the platform for either Steam or Epic Games Store. Aside from that, the game will be fully playable on the Steam Deck.

Although Hogwarts Legacy: Deluxe Edition is available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, these platforms will not receive early access perks. This is due to all three versions arriving later down the line after being delayed for technical and optimization reasons. For the last-gen PlayStation 4 and Xbox One systems, Hogwarts Legacy launches on April 4, 2023. The Nintendo Switch version arrives dead last on June 25, 2023.

Preloading could go live on these platforms a day or two before their respective launch dates, but no confirmation on this has been provided by publisher Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment.

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What is preloading?

Preloading refers to downloading the game before the launch date on your platform. With the title unlocking on its designated release date, preloading allows players to directly jump into the gameplay and avoid downloading it during the Day 1 hype period.