How to play Elden Ring Nightreign Early By Switching To New Zealand

Here's how you can get into the game just a little bit earlier in order to grind.

Alright, Elden Ring Nightreign is one of the biggest games hitting in 2025, and if you’re itching to jump in early, the New Zealand trick is your go-to move. This hack’s been around for a while, especially for Xbox players, since switching regions on that platform is super easy compared to PC or PlayStation. The game doesn’t drop everywhere at once, so you can use this trick to start playing as soon as it unlocks in New Zealand, no matter where you are. There are a few catches, though, depending on your platform.

Here’s how to pull it off: just switch your console’s region to New Zealand. That’s the earliest place Nightreign goes live, so when it hits midnight there on May 30, you’re in. That translates to 5:00 AM PT or 8:00 AM ET on May 29. This works like a charm on Xbox, but it’s trickier elsewhere.

For PlayStation, you’ve got to make a new PSN account set to New Zealand and buy the game on that account. If you turn on console sharing and offline play in your settings, your main account can still play it, even though the New Zealand account technically owns it. PC players, you’re out of luck with this trick—sorry. But Steam users get a bit of a head start anyway, with the game unlocking at 3:00 PM PT/6:00 PM ET on May 29, six hours before consoles. So, the New Zealand trick isn’t a game-changer for PC folks, just a small time bump at best.