Dragon’s Dogma 2 is nearly here, and Capcom’s highly-anticipated sequel has players so excited that they’re willing to try anything to get their hands on the game early. You can start playing Dragon’s Dogma 2 a full day early if you use the New Zealand trick, which is a tried and true method that players have been using for quite some time.
Using this trick, you can start playing Dragon’s Dogma 2 as soon as it is released in New Zealand, which is the earliest region that the game unlocks. It works a bit differently on each platform, but there are ways to play the game before launch and start exploring the massive world no matter where you decide to purchase the game.
How to Play Dragon’s Dogma 2 Early on Xbox
As always, the New Zealand trick works best on Xbox. To play Dragon’s Dogma 2 early on Xbox, just follow these steps.
- Go to your system settings.
- Choose System.
- Select Language & Location.
- Set your location to New Zealand.
- Restart your console.
After rebooting, you can start playing Dragon’s Dogma 2 at 4 AM PT/7 AM ET on Thursday, March 21. You can verify that the New Zealand trick worked by checking the Microsoft Store and looking at the prices. If they’re in NZ$ instead of USD or your regional currency, you did everything correctly.
How to Play Dragon’s Dogma 2 Early on PlayStation
The New Zealand trick still works on PS5, but it’s a bit more complicated and doesn’t work if you’ve already purchased the game on your main account. Games only unlock early on PlayStation if you purchase them directly from the New Zealand store, which means you’ll need to use a separate account to buy the game.
You can make a new account to do this, but if you’ve already pre-ordered Dragon’s Dogma 2 on your main PSN account, there’s no way to play early without buying another copy. If you are willing to buy the game on the New Zealand store, then you can still play on your main account after the game unlocks as long as you have Console Sharing and Offline Play enabled. To do that, head to your PS5 system settings on the New Zealand account, choose Users and Accounts, select Other, and finally enable Console Sharing and Offline Play.
How to Play Dragon’s Dogma 2 Early on PC
Unfortunately, the New Zealand trick doesn’t work on Steam or the Epic Games Store, so PC players will have to wait until Dragon’s Dogma 2 officially unlocks in their region before they can start playing. There is some good news though, since Dragon’s Dogma 2 unlocks way earlier on PC than it does on console.
If you buy Dragon’s Dogma 2 on PC via Steam or the Epic Games Store, then you can start playing at 5 PM PT/8 PM ET on Thursday, March 21. Consoles don’t get access to the game until midnight in their regions, but PC players can dive into the game the evening before launch and get a few hours of playtime in before the official release date. That’s plenty of time to spend in the remarkably deep character creator to customize your protagonist and Main Pawn.
