To play Hogwarts Legacy early, Xbox users can set their location to New Zealand in their console settings menu:
- From the Xbox Dashboard, open Settings
- Select System
- Select the Location dropdown menu and select New Zealand
- Select Your Language Region as English (New Zealand)
- Finally, hit Restart Now.
You’ll now be free to play Hogwarts Legacy almost a full day early!
Don’t forget that you can pre-load Hogwarts Legacy right now and start playing the moment it goes live!
This trick works because New Zealand is the first major time zone to hit 12 AM, and Hogwarts Legacy has a regional launch at midnight worldwide.
Xbox has no restriction on region changes and official channels have even made reference to the ‘New Zealand Trick’ on multiple occasions.
There are no negative consequences to performing the trick, and your region can be changed back at any time – though we’d wait to do it until Hogwarts Legacy launches in your country!
What Time Does Hogwarts Legacy Release in New Zealand?
Hogwarts Legacy launches its 3-day early access for Deluxe and Collector’s Edition owners at 12 AM NZDT on February 7 in New Zealand.
This is February 6 at 3 AM PT / 6 AM ET / 11 AM GMT for other regions around the globe.
The game will then go live for all players at 12 AM NZDT on February 10 (3 AM PT / 6 AM ET / 11 AM GMT on February 9).
Read More: Hogwarts Legacy Editions Compared – Standard vs Deluxe vs Collector’s Edition
At this point, Deluxe or Collector’s Edition players will be able to use the New Zealand trick to play even earlier than previously anticipated.
But is the Deluxe Edition of Hogwarts Legacy worth the money?
Can You Play Hogwarts Legacy Early on PS5 With New Zealand Trick?
Yes, the New Zealand trick does technically work on PlayStation consoles however, it requires you to set up an entirely new PS account with your location set to New Zealand. And doing so has some major drawbacks that make it not worth your time.
First of all, you’d need to sign into this account to play Hogwarts Legacy every time you wanted access to the game.
That would mean signing out of your main profile and into your alt account relatively often if you like to play other games alongside your Hogwarts Legacy experience.
Secondly, you’d need to purchase your copy of the Harry Potter game from the NZ PlayStation store, where prices will be considerably more expensive than in the US.
If that still sounds like something you’d like to pursue, here’s how to use the New Zealand trick to play Hogwarts Legacy early on PlayStation!
How to Use New Zealand Trick on PlayStation
- Head to the PlayStation NZ site
- Click or tap ‘Sign In’ at the top right of the screen
- Press the ‘Create New Account’ button
- Add all of your details, using a different email from your normal PS and set the location to New Zealand
- Find a reputable seller of PlayStation NZ wallet cards
- Purchase PSN Wallet Cards in the amount necessary
- Log in to your NZ PSN account on your console
- Redeem the wallet codes in the PlayStation Store
- Go to Settings, then User and Accounts. Select Account, then Payment & Subscriptions, then Redeem Code.
- Purchase Hogwarts Legacy (must be the Deluxe or Collector’s edition to play 3 days early from February 6 or 7.
Just can’t wait to get stuck into the Wizarding World? Here’s some new gameplay of Hogwarts Legacy to help you pass the time!