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  1. Games
  2. FPS Games
  3. Battlefield
  4. Battlefield 2042

When you can start the Battlefield 2042 preload and when you can play

Guides
By Will Sawyer, Connor Sheridan published 10 November 2021

Battlefield 2042 preloading will be available soon with early access starting November 12

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Battlefield 2042 Hazard Zone
(Image credit: EA)
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Battlefield 2042 preload will be available later today as the game gears up for its early access launch on Friday and its full launch a week later. If you’ve pre-ordered the Gold or Ultimate editions of the game, you’ll be able to play in the Battlefield 2042 early access period, so you’ll definitely want to make sure you’ve got the game installed and ready to go for that. Here’s what you need to know about preloading for Battlefield 2042.

Battlefield 2042 Specialists | Battlefield 2042 weapons | Battlefield 2042 error codes  |  Battlefield 2042 tips | Battlefield 2042 modes 

When you can start preloading Battlefield 2042

Battlefield 2042 preloading information PC and Consoles

(Image credit: EA)

Preloading for Battlefield 2042 will be live for all players shortly, assuming you’ve pre-ordered the game already. For console players, preloading should already be live. Xbox players, both Xbox One and Series X, can preload Battlefield 2042 already – that went live on November 6. Meanwhile PS4 and PS5 players could begin installing from midnight November 10.

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However, PC players can preload Battlefield 2042 later today from 6pm UTC. That’s 10am PST / 1pm EST / 6pm GMT / 7pm CEST. That’s only a few hours away, so PC players should be prepared to start preloading Battlefield 2042 soon. If you’ve got Battlefield 2042 ordered for any console or PC platform, make sure you have it ready to go for early access or launch day depending on the edition you’ve ordered – more information on that below. If you are an Xbox Game Pass or EA Play subscriber, it does not look like there is a way to preload Battlefield 2042. However, you will be able to access a 10-hour free trial during the early access period with your subscription.

Make sure you’ve got plenty of space on your storage devices for your console and PC to minimize problems for the installation. It was recently discovered that Battlefield 2042’s PS5 size was surprisingly small at just over 42GB. Presumably, the file size will be similar on Xbox at around 40-50GB, although Steam recommends 100GB of available space for the game on PC, so plan accordingly!

When you can play Battlefield 2042

Battlefield 2042

(Image credit: EA)

If you’ve pre-ordered and pre-installed the Gold or Ultimate Editions of Battlefield 2042 for any platform, you’ll be able to start playing in the early access period on November 12 at 8am UTC, which is midnight PST / 5am EST / 8am GMT / 9am CEST. That’s only in just a couple of days, so if you plan on playing as much of the early access period as possible, make sure you’ve got Battlefield 2042 preloaded. If you’ve gone for the base version of the game with none of the bonuses or early access, you’ll have to wait until the game’s full launch on November 19 at 8am UTC.

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Connor Sheridan
Connor Sheridan
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Former GamesRadar+ News Writer

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and was formerly a staff writer at GamesRadar+.

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