'Hogwarts Legacy' Preload Times, Early Access Rundown, and Review Score Round-Up

Ryan Epps, Tech Times 07 February 2023, 07:02 am

The excitement is at its boiling point for the highly anticipated Hogwarts Legacy, which officially launches on Feb. for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X users. Last-gen systems, specifically the PS4 and Xbox One, will have to wait until April to experience Hogwarts in all of its magical glory, while Nintendo Switch players won't be seeing the title until July.

But, for those incapable of waiting, as the itch to experience Hogwarts certainly can get a bit too grand, a lucky few will be able to play the game early, expressly available only on PC, PS5, and Series X systems. This early access period, which is only available via purchase of the Deluxe Edition of the game, will allow players to delve straight into the world of Hogwarts 72 hours before the official launch, but it's not the same across the board for all those interested.

PC Hogwarts Legacy Early Access

According to the official Hogwarts Legacy Twitter account, PC players will be able to experience the magical fun of the wizarding world at 10 AM PST and 1PM EST on Feb. 7. This is a global early access release structure, meaning that it will become available at those times across the world for both Steam and Epic Games Store players. For those in UTC timezone, it won't be available until 6PM on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

For those unaware, the PC requirements for Hogwarts Legacy aren't too bad. You will need Windows 10 or 11, DirectX 12, and at least 85GB of storage space. For minimum recommended PC specs, Hogwarts Legacy developer Avalanche points out the following:

AMD Ryzen 5 1400 CPU or Intel Core i5-6600 CPU
16GB of RAM
AMD Radeon RX 470 4GB GPU or Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 4GB GPU
SSD (Hard Drives are also supported, but SSDs are preferred)

Console Hogwarts Legacy Early Access

For console players, early access works a bit differently. As opposed to having to wait until a specific time on Feb. 7, PS5 and Xbox Series X players will gain access at the stroke of midnight. This goes for all regions across the world, which the Hogwarts Legacy Twitter account conveys with a full-fledged map.

This detailed map highlights that specific US-based time zones West of EST will gain access before 12AM on the 7th. That means players in the specific time zones of PST, MST, and CST will have access to Hogwarts Legacy on Feb. 6 at 9 PM, 10 PM, and 11 PM, respectively.

Hogwarts Legacy Pre-Load Times

Those more willing to wait until the official launch date can still download the game before its Feb. 10 release. PC players won't be able to pre-load the game unless they have early access. Otherwise, PS5 users can download the game on Feb. 8, so they won't have to wait come launch and dive right into the action. Xbox players with the standard edition can also download the game today.

The file size for Hogwarts Legacy is quite a bit beefy. On PS5, it's 80GB, while on PC, it's 85GB, and on Xbox Series X, it's 77GB. Make sure to clear up some space for the game before you start downloading.

Hogwarts Legacy Review Scores

Reviews were first published on Feb. 6 for Hogwarts Legacy, and the vast majority of them paint a game that is incredibly superb. Tabling the backlash of the trans community, most reviewers have seemingly tried to ignore the boycott and go into the game with an open mind. IGN, for one, has gifted the experience a 9 out of 10.

Hogwarts Legacy currently sits at an 86-average Critics Review Score on Metacritic, which isn't bad at all. For the most part, reviewers have praised its open-world setting, calling it a literal dream come true for Wizarding World fans. Fextralife's own review did express some concerns about the nature of gameplay later into the experience, citing repetitive missions and limited loot as being somewhat of a letdown, yet overall still a superb game.

It seems Portkey Games and Avalanche Studios have outdone themselves, which surely shows in the many glowing reviews that have hit the pressers. Only a few more hours before that mysterious and magical school becomes our home away from home for a time.