Depending on which console you’re on, the New Zealand trick can work and allow you to play games early. In preparation for theElden RingShadow of the Erdtree DLC, here’s how you play it early using the New Zealand trick.
How to play Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree early on Xbox
There are many ways toprepare for Shadow of the Erdtree, and one of them is to access it early. The New Zealand trick works easiest on the Xbox, so anyone with an Xbox Series X|S should be thrilled. Here’s how it works:
After restarting your Xbox, you should be able to start playing Shadow of the Erdrtree at4 AM PT/7 AM ETon Thursday, June 20. Just make sure the trick works by checking your Microsoft Store. If you notice that the prices are in NZD rather than USD (or whatever your currency is), that means it worked!
How to play Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree early on PlayStation
Luckily, the New Zealand trick can still work for PlayStation users, but it’s a little more complicated. The unfortunate thing is that you mustbuy the Elden Ring base game through the New Zealand storefirst to unlock Shadow of the Erdtree on the NZ store as well. This means you must make a new account and buy both Elden Ring and its DLC through that storefront.
If you already have Elden Ring on your main account, it’d be best not to do the NZ trick to not waste your money. But if you’re okay with buying Elden Ring again, or it’s your first time buying it, you should try the NZ trick.
Once you purchase Elden Ring and the DLC through the NZ store, you’re able to stillplay on your main accountafter the game unlocks if you have Console Sharing and Offline Play enabled. You can do this by going to yourPS5 settings on your NZ account, selecting “Users and Accounts,” then going to “Other,” and enabling “Console Sharing and Offline Play.”
How to play Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree early on Steam
Unfortunately, the New Zealand trickwon’t work on PC, whether it’s a game through Steam or the Epic Games Store. Although you may be disappointed, PC players technically get thegame early on Thursday, June 20instead of on Friday! PC players can start downloading and playing Shadow of the Erdtree at3 PM PT/6 PM ETon Thursday, June 20.
In time, all shall thread their way through the Realm of Shadow.The release schedule of#ELDENRINGShadow of the Erdtree is now available.pic.twitter.com/vEAK5IUru1
This was revealed in a post on Twitter/X on the Elden Ring account. If your timezone isn’t ET or PT, check out what time you’re able to access Shadow of the Erdtree on PC in the image above. So although you won’t be able to start playing as early as New Zealand players, you’ll still get a good enough head start.
Now that you know how to play the Elden Ring DLC early using the New Zealand trick, you may also be interested induplicating or backing up your Elden Ring saveson PC in preparation for Shadow of the Erdtree.
Anyka Pettigrew
Anyka Pettigrew has been a Staff Writer for PC Invasion since November 2023 and a Contributing Writer since February 2023. She is a Canadian graduate of a Bachelor of Arts degree who has been writing in games journalism for four years. Anyka is an avid guides writer but also enjoys writing anything from news pieces, to reviews, and even opinion pieces. Having a never-ending passion for video games for as long as she can remember got her into a plethora of genres like action adventure, RPGs, horror, survival etc. Some of her favorite franchises are God of War, Persona, The Last of Us, Zelda, and Resident Evil. She also enjoys reading fantasy and sci-fi books, as well as drawing digital art. Anyka also regularly listens to podcasts on gaming news from ‘Kinda Funny Games’, and ‘Play, Watch, Listen’.
