Preloading is expected to open on November 12, 2026 — one week before launch — for digital pre-orders on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game then unlocks at midnight local time on November 19.
How preload actually works
Preload downloads the full (encrypted) game to your console before release. At midnight on launch day it simply unlocks — no launch-night download, no queue, no overloaded CDN. It is the single best thing you can do for a smooth launch.
The right way to do it
Pre-order digitally on the store of your actual account region.
Free up space now: with a 150–200 GB estimate plus headroom, you want ~220 GB free before Nov 12.
Start on Nov 12 if your connection is slower than ~50 Mbps — the full week is your buffer.
Enable rest mode / auto-downloads so the console pulls the preload overnight.
Don't change your account region to "get it earlier". Region mismatches are the classic way to break a preload and lose launch night to support tickets.
Want the exact hour to start your download? The Preload Calculator does the math for your connection speed. Open the calculator →