Confirming earlier rumors, Sony officially announced today that PlayStation 4 owners will be able to download and install games ahead of release. It's all part of the PS4's new automatic pre-load functionality, which will let you start playing the second a game is officially released.
"We all know that some of the biggest games can take a while to download, and with the pre-load functionality, you'll be able to download and install those huge files up to several days in advance," Sony wrote in a post on the PlayStation Blog.
Any games you've already preordered will be automatically pre-loaded and downloaded to your PS4. "All you have to do is pre-order the game, make sure your PS4 remains in standby mode, and sit back and relax," Sony says.
The first PS4 game to take advantage pre-loading is next week's Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark. All titles available for preorder on the PlayStation Store on or after May 20 will be pre-loaded, and it works on PlayStation 3, too. PS4 games available for pre-load include:
- Battlefield Hardline
- Bloodborne
- Call of Duty: Advance Warfare
- Destiny
- Dragon Age: Inquisition
- Far Cry 4
- Infamous: First Light
- Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare
- Little Big Planet 3
- Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor
- The Order: 1886
- Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark
- Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
Microsoft is also planning to introduce pre-loading for Xbox One games, though the company has not said when this functionality will be unlocked.
PC gamers have enjoyed pre-loading for a long time now, as both Steam and Origin allow users to download games and begin playing when the clock strikes midnight.
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