It’s almost time to venture to The Lands Between and become an Elden Lord. After years of waiting, Elden Ring launches next week, and there’s good news for players eager to jump into this brutally challenging game the second it goes live.
If you’ve digitally pre-ordered Elden Ring on Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S or Xbox One, the game is now available for preload ahead of its release on February 25. Once the game is fully downloaded on your system, it’s just a matter of waiting for it to unlock — easier said than done with a game that looks this good.
The game weighs in at around 50GB on Xbox Series X, while the last-gen version is a little smaller at just 30GB. If you’ve previously maxed out your hard drive space, then now is the time to make some room for this massive open-world RPG.
Alternatively, you can boost your Xbox Series X storage with a Seagate Expansion Card ($218 on Amazon). Adding this officially licensed SSD to your next-gen console will save you the headache of having to delete some old favorites. Meanwhile, Xbox One owners can pick up one of the best external hard drives in order to boost the console’s available storage space.
There is a possibility that an additional download will be required as the initial preload may not include the game’s likely day one patch. Although, this download should be significantly smaller and could be available prior to launch. Either way, preloading Elden Ring will ensure you get playing as fast as possible on launch day.
Elden preloads are currently only available on Xbox consoles, but it’s expected to go live on PS5, PS4 and PC imminently. The exact time the game will unlock hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it’s typically midnight local time on release day. However, some games opt instead for a worldwide unlock time. We expect Elden Ring’s unlock time to be confirmed next week.
If all the hype surrounding Elden Ring has passed you by, where have you been for the last few months? The game is the latest brutally difficult action RPG by FromSoftware, the creators of Dark Souls and Bloodborne, and comes from the deliciously warped mind of Hidetaka Miyazaki. Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin has helped write the game’s story and lore as well. Sounds like a dream collaboration to us.
Be sure to catch up on with our Elden Ring explainer before you play.
