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Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: release time, file size, and preload options

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The Demon King Ganondorf is back and Link is the only hero that can save Hyrule (again) in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, launching tomorrow on Nintendo Switch. The highly anticipated sequel to Breath of the Wild, the most popular Zelda titles and one of the greatest games of all time, features the same massive world of Hyrule, classic enemies, and fan-favorite weapons but with new powers an abilities.

Like its predecessor, Tears of the Kingdom is a game that you can easily get lost in and spend hundreds of hours exploring without finding all of its secrets. If you’re itching to save this version of Hyrule, it’s surely taken a lot of patience to wait this long for the sequel to launch. Ee can’t make it come any faster, but we can at least tell you exactly what time time you can play Tears of the Kingdom and how to download the game early.

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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom release time

Zelda holds a tear-shaped object in her hand in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's final trailer.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will become available to play starting at 9 p.m. PT on May 11 or 12 a.m. ET on May 12 depending on your timezone.

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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom file size

Link climbs a cliff in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re downloading Tears of the Kingdom, you won’t have too large of a file to deal with. The game is currently 16.2GB in size.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom preload options

Link floats in a water bubble in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Preloading for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom began May 5 for digital owners. That gives players a full week to complete the relatively small download and be ready to play when the full game unlocks.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom preorder details

Link flying through air in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

While there is only one edition of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to get, you can preorder it at various retailers that offer their own exclusive bonuses, such as a print from Best Buy and a plaque from GameStop. No matter where you preorder, the game will cost you $70. If you want to spend more, you can also look to get the limited edition Switch OLED, Pro Controler, or Amiibo, however, none of these come with a copy of the game.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom arrives exclusively on the Nintendo Switch on May 12.

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Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox has been a writer at Digital Trends for over four years and has no plans of stopping. He covers all things…
How to find the Fifth Sage in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
A sage grabbing ganon by the throat.

For as open and freeform as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is, even allowing you to skip essentially every quest in the game and go straight to the final boss, you will be missing a ton by doing so. At the very least, most players will want to complete all the main quests before marching into the final encounter, which will take many hours. One quest is taking some adventurers a long time to complete, not due to its difficulty, but because they have no idea how to complete it.

The Fifth Sage quest is one of the most enigmatic in the entire game in what you're supposed to do to complete it. You're only given a single clue, and it's not a very helpful one at that.

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The best horses in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

There are plenty of ways to roam the land of Hyrule in Breath of the Wild, but few are as well-developed as horse riding. Not only does the game let you tame a variety of horses found in the wild, but you can customize your horse by changing its saddle, bridle, and even its physical attributes. Toss in the ability to discover Malanya, the horse god, and there's a lot to unpack with this down-to-earth travel method.

However, not all horses are worth taming and adding to your stable. And since horse taming is a time-consuming task, it's important to know the best horses in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild so you don't waste your day chasing a steed that's not much faster than Link.

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How (and where) to trade Poes in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Poes sit near a waterfall in The Legend of Zelda: tears of the Kingdom.

It might take place in the same Hyrule as Breath of the Wild, but Tears of the Kingdom's landscape is radically different from its predecessor. Along with massive floating islands in the sky, there's a sprawling underworld to explore that's filled with secrets to discover and abilities to unlock. One such secret is Poes, which take a very different form than in past Zelda games -- instead of serving as an enemy, they're now an alternate form of currency.

Interested in learning more about where to trade Poes in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and how to find them? Here's everything you need to know about these unique collectibles.
What are Poes in Tears of the Kingdom?
When you first dive into Hyrule's underground area, you'll probably notice tons of blue-and-white wisps scattered around the surface in patches. Those wisps are Tears of the Kingdom's version of Poes. Yes, the classic enemy is now a simple item that you can collect.

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