If you are purchasing a digital copy from the Nintendo eShop, preloads are now available, meaning you can download the game ahead of time and start playing as soon as it’s available.

As with all Nintendo games, you can play as soon as Thursday, Sept. 26, begins in your region, although there is an exception for those living in North America.

Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom release time: When does Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom go live?

Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom will be available on Thursday, Sept. 26, at the following times from the Switch eShop:

In summary, you can play Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom as soon as midnight local time, except in North America, where it’ll go live when it hits midnight in the East Coast — meaning those elsewhere on the continent can sneak in an hour or two before bedtime.

Another (small) exception is if you purchase the game from an eShop region where it’s already available (such as Japan) you can start playing when it’s midnight in that region, provided you’re willing to log into that specific regional account each time you want to play. Otherwise, simply wait until it’s available where you are.

Finally, it’s worth saying the above only applies to digital purchases through the eShop, as a physical copy is ready to play as soon as you get your hands on one. For those who prefer to have a version of the game to sit on their shelf, it’s worth noting first-time customers of QVC can get $30 off Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, provided you top up the order to a total of $60.

Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom preload size

Digital pre-orders of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom can be preloaded from the eShop so you can download and get playing as soon as it’s released.

According to Nintendo, the Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom preload size is 6 GB — so make sure you have enough room on your Switch ahead of time. If you don’t, then a microSD upgrade might be on the cards (pun intended), especially when that 6 GB doesn’t include any post-release patches or updates that might come to the game.