Call of Duty Vanguard release time and download sizes

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When can you play Call of Duty Vanguard and unlock the game?

Call of Duty: Vanguard
(Image credit: Activision)

The Call of Duty Vanguard release time has become a very pressing question now that the game will be out soon, leading many to wonder: when will Call of Duty: Vanguard unlock and become playable at home? Assuming you weren't one of the lucky ones sent a physical copy early and are still waiting for your downloaded digital copy to unlock, we'll lay out all the release times you can expect for your Call of Duty: Vanguard to become playable, no matter your platform or time zone, as well as download sizes and times.

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Call of Duty: Vanguard release time schedule

Call of Duty: Vanguard

(Image credit: Activision)

The release times for Call of Duty: Vanguard vary depending on your platform and location, with certain times for PC players and others for those who have it preloaded on consoles. We'll lay out those times below so you know when Vanguard will be ready to go (barring any sudden day one patches).

PS4/PS5/Xbox One/Xbox Series X/S release times

  • United Kingdom/GMT: 12.00 AM Nov 5th
  • East coast USA/EDT: 12.00 AM Nov 5th
  • West coast USA/PDT: 9.00 PM Nov 4th
  • Europe/CET: 12.00 AM Nov 5th

PC/Battle.net release times

  • United Kingdom/GMT: 4.00 AM Nov 5th
  • East coast USA/EDT: 12.00 AM Nov 5th
  • West coast USA/PDT: 9.00 PM Nov 4th
  • Europe/CET: 5.00 AM Nov 5th

As you can see, the general idea is that the majority of console releases are getting midnight releases attached to their respective time zones, while those on PC are all being unlocked simultaneously, tied to a midnight release for the East coast. 

Call of Duty: Vanguard download sizes

Call of Duty Vanguard multiplayer

(Image credit: Activision)

Pre-loading for Call of Duty: Vanguard has been since November 2nd, and it's pretty necessary as Vanguard has the characteristic large file size of most modern games (though less than the historically bloated standard for Call of Duty, which is nice). The specific file sizes differ from platform to platform, and disregarding any day one patches, this is what players should expect:

  • PS4: 54.65 GB
  • PS5: 64.13 GB 
  • Xbox One: 56.6 GB
  • Xbox Series X/S: 61 GB
  • PC/Battle.net: 61 GB (or 36 GB, see below)

However, it's worth mentioning that previous Call of Duty games have allowed players to download aspects of the game individually for a more economic downloading experience. So if you're not interested in the campaign, you don't have to download it. We know at time of writing that players can download only the multiplayer and zombies components of the game for PC/Battle.net if they wish, for a reduced file size of 36GB. Activision has claimed that players will be able to choose to manage storage space and reduce the game's overall file size during or after the pre-load (thanks AS.com), so it's possible that players will be given the chance to cut out unwanted elements of the games on all platforms.

Joel Franey
Joel Franey
Guides Editor, GamesRadar+

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.