With Half-Life: Alyx just around the corner, it’s no surprise that everyone’s just gunning for a heads up on whether they can download the game early or access it ahead of time. Well, yes, there’s actually a designated Half-Life: Alyx Pre-Load time which starts a little bit earlier than the release date, and here’s what we know about it. 

Half-Life: Alyx Pre-Load Time, When Does It Start?

So, you’ve been frothing for Half-Life Alyx for some time. Us too! Team Prima has been waiting eagerly since it was announced, and we are honestly just counting down the days right now until March 23 which is when the game officially launches as a VR-exclusive and becomes playable for absolutely everyone who owns it. It will unlock at 10 AM Pacific time on that particular date, so there’s no need to jump out of bed at midnight to get the most playtime. However, if you’re wanting to make sure that everything is downloaded before that date and that you can start playing as soon as it unlocks, you’re going to want to pre-load the game. 

There’s a specific pre-load time for Half-Life: Alyx and we’re happy to announce that it begins on March 20. If you already own the game, then you’re going to be able to start downloading it any time from March 20. This gives you about a three day window to download everything and to make sure that you’re primed for all of the Half-Life fun as soon as it’s available to play. Sounds neat, right? We’re definitely going to be taking advantage of that. 

Now that you are aware of when the Half-Life: Alyx Pre-Load time starts, you’re going to be able to get everything downloaded a couple of days in advance at least when it comes to being ready for the grand launch on March 23. We absolutely will be taking advantage of the early pre-loading option so that we can jump right into things as soon as the game becomes playable. Need a hand with anything else relating to Half-Life: Alyx? Why not check out the variety of tips and tricks that we’ve prepared for players like you on our dedicated guides hub for the game?

• Original Half-Life Writer Was Very Involved in Half-Life: Alyx
• Xbox Head ‘Loves’ Half-Life Alyx But Says It’s Not Enough to Make VR a Priority
• Which VR Headsets Work With Half-Life: Alyx