Pokémon Unite will go live at 2am CT for Nintendo Switch

Pokémon Unite will officially go live on Nintendo Switch at 2am CT on July 21 for all players, though pre-downloads are available ahead of launch. 

Those pre-downloaded copies of the game will unlock at 12am local time but won’t be playable until 2am CT on July 21. 

Nintendo has already pushed the store page for Unite live on the Switch’s eShop. This means players can pre-load the game to avoid doing a bigger download when it actually becomes playable.

To pre-load the game, all you need to do is find Pokémon Unite on the Switch eShop, either on your console or via Nintendo’s official website. Then, you can confirm your pre-order for the game—there’s no purchase required since the game is free-to-play—and begin downloading the title instantly. 

The game requires 928 MB of free space on your system’s storage to download, though there might be a day one patch if any last-minute errors are discovered ahead of launch. 

Pokémon Unite will release worldwide on July 21 for Switch, with a mobile version of the game set to launch in September, according to The Pokémon Company and developers TiMi Studios.

There’s also a bonus for players who pick up Unite early. Anyone who logs into the game before Aug. 31 will automatically unlock the Electric-type Mythical Pokémon Zeraora. It’ll be made available for mobile players when that version of the game launches, too.