Zelda Tears of the Kingdom New Zealand trick – can I play it early?
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The release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is nearly here. For some, however, the wait to May 12 is far too much to bare and they’d rather get their hands on the game early. While the New Zealand trick works for some games, it doesn’t work for all.
Tears of the Kingdom is one of the most anticipated games in 2024 and for good reason. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was a masterpiece that changed the Zelda franchise in a positive way, so much so that Tears of the Kingdom is expected to go above and beyond. So does the New Zealand trick work for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? Can you play the game early?
Does the New Zealand trick work for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?
Before anything, we do not recommend using the New Zealand trick and instead recommend waiting until the official launch of the game. That being said, we will inform you as to whether or not the trick works for Tears of the Kingdom. Nintendo wants everyone to wait for their time.
The short answer to the question is yes. You can theoretically play the game early on your Nintendo Switch but there is a lot of work involved that makes the process more of a hassle than it’s worth.
How to do the New Zealand Trick in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Here’s how to do the trick:
- Set up an account through Nintendo and say you live in New Zealand.
- It is easy to set up an account in any region of the world through the official Nintendo website.
- Purchase the game using a New Zealand credit/debit card.
- Cards from other countries will not work.
You will now have a copy for New Zealand, so you can play when New Zealand can. If you perform the trick, you can play the game on your Switch at midnight New Zealand time on May 12. This equates to the following times:
- 8am EDT
- 5am PDT
- 1pm BST
- 12pm GMT
There is a bit of a roadblock when it comes to downloading the New Zealand copy of Tears of the Kingdom. Just like with other Nintendo games, you will need to have a Nintendo account in that region.
This means that you will either need to get your hands on a card from the country or have a friend purchase the game for you on your account. No other ways will work. You may need to wait until the game launches locally for you so you can see Link’s new abilities. At least you will be able to preload the game to avoid downloading it on day one.
