Here’s The Exact Time ‘Hogwarts Legacy’ Early Access Begins On PS5, Xbox Series X And PC

The most highly-anticipated game of 2023 (so far) is almost upon us. Hogwarts Legacy, despite being enmeshed in a near-constant state of controversy, is already breaking sales records on PS5 and Xbox Series X, and unless the game is a massive disappointment, it’s looking like one of the biggest games of 2023 by a long mile.

The open-world Harry Potter game allows players to explore the magical school Hogwarts as a young witch or wizard as they attend school, fight monsters, fly on broomsticks and cast spells—all in a fantastical open-world. The game takes place a hundred years before the events of the Harry Potter books, which means you won’t run into familiar characters, only familiar fantasy.

Gamers excited to hop onto their broomsticks can do so a few days earlier than the game’s February 10th release date. If you pre-ordered the game’s physical Collector’s Edition or Digital Deluxe Edition on console or PC you’ll get 72 hours of early access. Here’s the exact time you can apparate into the game’s early access period based on your platform of choice:

Early Access On Steam And The Epic Game Store

PC players will be able to dive through Platform 9 and 3/4 and board the Hogwarts Express at 10 am PST / 1pm EST on Tuesday, February 7th. This is for players globally, so you’ll want to double check what time-zone that is based on your region. This translates to 6pm UTC.

Early Access On PlayStation And Xbox

It’s a bit different for console players as the 72 hour Early Access begins at midnight local time on February 7th. Whenever the clock strikes midnight and the carriage turns back into a pumpkin and the dress into rags, lose your glass slippers and hop into the game. The only time-zones that differ here are those west of EST. So 9pm PST / 10pm MST / 11pm CST on the 6th, and then 12am EST on the 7th (at least, that’s what the below map appears to convey despite the Hogwarts Legacy tweet’s text):

Hogwarts Legacy has been shaping up into what looks like a very good game (I had many doubts early on but I’ve come to be pretty excited about the game). The controversy around Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has put a damper on things, but I believe you can purchase and enjoy the game whether or not you agree with Rowling’s politics. In fact, I urge you to play the game (or not play it) with total disregard the pop culture wars that everyone has become embroiled in surrounding this game.

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