Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has almost, finally, arrived with his out Friday May 12 on the Nintendo Switch around the world.
While the physical editions of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are playable from the moment you get them in your hands, there’s a restriction on when the digital version – purchased through the Nintendo Switch eShop – unlocks. The good news, however, is that most players can start exploring Hyrule as soon as the clock strikes midnight on Friday in their region.
If you digitally pre-ordered the game through the eShop and are wondering when you’ll be able to start playing, look below for more. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom release date
On this page:
Explanation of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom release time in BST, CEST, EDT and PDT
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s release time is pretty straight forward for most players, as it must adhere to the general Nintendo Switch eShop rule of being available from midnight (local time) on Friday, May 12.
The main expectation is for the United States due to its multiple time zones. The good news is that since the release time is national, players living on the West Coast can start venturing through Hyrule at the same time as those on the East Coast.
To summarize, here is the Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom release times in your region :
- UK – 00:00, Friday 12 May (BST)
- Europe – 12:00 p.m., Friday 12 May (CEST)
- US East Coast – 12:00 a.m., Friday, May 12 (EDT)
- US West Coast – 9pm, Thursday, May 11 (PDT)
It should be noted that the above only applies to digital pre-orders of the game through the Nintendo Switch eShop. If you ordered a physical copy, you have to wait for it to arrive the old fashioned way. (Unless it arrives a day early and, if so, I’m pretty jealous.)
Nintendo does this for every game it releases, which is something to keep in mind if you’re planning on pre-ordering another game, like Pikmin 4, through the eShop.
What is the download size of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom?
Whether you’re preloading Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for release on Friday, May 12 or planning to start downloading when it’s released, the file size is 16.2 GB.
As of this writing, we don’t know if there will be a day one patch.
If you want to know more about the game, check out our Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom preview.
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