We may earn a commission when you buy through links in our articles. Learn more.

You can’t pre-load Hogwarts Legacy on Steam or Epic, sorry

Warner Bros has confirmed that you cannot pre-load Hogwarts Legacy on Steam or Epic, meaning you'll have to sit and download the Harry Potter game upon release.

You can't pre-load Hogwarts Legacy on Steam or Epic, sorry: A white woman with dark hair wearing dark robes lined with gold holds out a broom with a smile to another person in a green field

As we draw ever closer to the Hogwarts Legacy release date, Warner Bros. has revealed that players will not be able to pre-load the Harry Potter RPG game on Steam or Epic, meaning you’ll have to download Hogwarts Legacy on the day.

An alleged screenshot from a discussion with the Warner Bros. support team has made it onto the story game‘s official Reddit. In response to a question regarding pre-loads, a representative called Viola has nailed the coffin shut pretty tightly.

“There will not be a pre-load function available for Steam or Epic Games,” they write. “However you should be able to download it on early access on February 7 if you have the Digital Deluxe Edition or physical Collector’s Edition.”

A support message from Warner Bros. games discussing pre-loading Hogwarts Legacy on a sky blue background

Given that the game will use up 85GB of storage according to the official Hogwarts Legacy system requirements, this is pretty disappointing. You’ll have to sit and watch your internet expire trying to download the game (I’m from Scotland, we don’t have fast wi-fi up here) and cross your fingers that you get the chance to play it that same day.

In order to verify this information, PCGamesN has reached out to Warner Bros. for comment, and will update this article as we learn more.

Pre-load or no pre-load, though, there’s a lot of exciting things that you’ll want to study before you embark on your wizarding world adventure. We have a list of all of the Hogwarts Legacy characters, as well as all of the currently known Hogwarts Legacy spells so you can channel your inner Hermione. We also have a collection of the best PC games out there to keep you occupied until your Hogwarts letter arrives.

The creator of the Harry Potter series, JK Rowling, has made a number of transphobic remarks on social media in recent years. Warner Bros. has the licence to make games based on Harry Potter. While the details of that deal aren’t publicly known, and WB Games says “J.K. Rowling is not directly involved in the creation of the game”, it is likely that, as the creator and owner of the Harry Potter IP, she will earn royalties from its sales. If you’d like to learn more about transgender equality or lend your support, here are two important charities we encourage you to check out: the National Center for Transgender Equality in the US, and Mermaids in the UK.