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Pokemon Legends: Arceus is very close to launching for the Nintendo Switch. While this new entry in the series isn't a completely open-world Pokemon RPG that some fans have wanted for years now, it's still quite the departure from the mainline games, offering lots of freedom to explore the new (old) region of Hisui.
By using this guide, Switch owners can learn the release time for Pokemon Legends: Arceus' digital version, so that they can play as soon as it's available.
What Time Does Pokemon Legends: Arceus Release Digitally?
The expected release and unlock time for Pokemon Legends: Arceus on the Nintendo Switch is midnight local time on Friday, January 28, 2022. It doesn't matter where in the world Pokemon fans live in --the digital version of the game will unlock at midnight. Of course, players should take this info with a grain of salt, as it has not been officially confirmed by Nintendo nor The Pokemon Company. However, considering that recent Pokemon games like Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl were also released on the eShop at midnight local time on launch day, it's very likely that Pokemon Legends: Arceus players will be able to jump into the game at the same time.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus File Size
Players can already pre-order and then pre-load Pokemon Legends: Arceus from the Nintendo Switch eShop right now so that they can be ready once the game is unlocked on launch day. The pre-load file size for Pokemon Legends: Arceus is surprisingly small, sitting at around 6GB of data.
For players that purchase and download Pokemon Legends: Arceus from the Switch eShop before May 9, 2022, they can get an email from Nintendo with a download code for 30 Heavy Balls (redeemable in-game via Mystery Gift)
Of course, these 6GB could end up increasing in size if Pokemon Legends gets a hefty day one patch, as most games tend to have these days. Switch owners should make space for the game by removing installed titles they don't often play or just investing in a MicroSD card with more free space.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus' file size is still considered small compared to games that launch on the more powerful consoles, like anything in the Call of Duty franchise, where games can take up 100 Gigabytes or more sometimes.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus launches for the Nintendo Switch on January 28, 2022.