Does Pokemon Legends: Arceus Have Early Access?

Would-be Hisui trainers are interested to know if Pokemon Legends: Arceus has early access capabilities.

This isn't surprising, of course. Pokemon Legends: Arceus is the closest longtime fans have come to an open-world Pokemon game since the franchise's birth in the 1990s. It makes sense that players would want to jump into Hisui and roam the wilds of pre-historic Sinnoh as soon as they can. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done.

Below, we've explained early access, pre-loading, and what's available for users.

Does Pokemon Legends: Arceus Have Early Access?

The short answer to this question is: no, Pokemon Legends: Arceus does not have early access. It does, however, have a preload availability where players who ordered the game digitally can load the game's data onto their Switch in preparation for it to go live.

This isn't unusual for popular titles. Several games in the past across a variety of franchises have had the same capabilities so players can jump right into the action when it finally goes live. They won't have to wait for the game to download or install while those who pre-ordered physical copies can jump directly into gameplay.

Pre-load availability should be rolling out shortly according to player timezones. The game should open around midnight ET on Jan. 28.

How to Pre-Load Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Players can pre-load Pokemon Legends: Arceus directly from the Nintendo eShop app on their Nintendo Switch. In fact, for some, it may begin to download automatically. If not, we've listed the steps below:

1. Boot up your Nintendo Switch handheld console.
2. Navigate to and open the Nintendo eShop application—the yellow shopping bag icon on the lower bar.
3. Locate the shop listing for Pokemon Legends: Arceus. This can be done by either exploring the various side tabs or by searching the game directly.
4. Purchase the game if you haven't done so yet. If already bought, skip to step 5.
5. Confirm the game for download.

The noted file size for Pokemon Legends: Arceus is 6 GB.