007 First Light Will Not Support Pre-Load on Steam or Xbox
007 First Light is one of the most anticipated upcoming James Bond games, but players on PC and Xbox may have to wait a little longer before they can actually start playing at launch.
The game is set to release on May 27, with Deluxe Edition owners receiving 24 hours of early access. However, IO Interactive has confirmed that pre-loading will not be available for the Steam version or Xbox Series X/S.
Pre-loading is a popular feature that lets players download a game ahead of its official release time. Once the game unlocks, they can start playing immediately without waiting for a large download to finish. For modern games, which often come with massive file sizes, this can make a big difference, especially for players with slower internet connections.
According to a community update from IO Interactive, Steam and Xbox players will only be able to begin downloading 007 First Light when the game officially becomes available. That means PC and Xbox users will not be able to prepare their installation in advance.
PlayStation 5 players, however, will get pre-load support. This appears to be because pre-loading is required on Sony’s platform, making PS5 the only confirmed system where players can download the game before launch.
The decision may be especially disappointing for those who purchased the Deluxe Edition for early access. Since that edition only provides a 24-hour head start, some players on Steam and Xbox could lose part of that bonus time waiting for the game to download instead of jumping straight into the action.
At this time, IO Interactive has not provided a specific reason for why pre-load is unavailable on Steam and Xbox. Unless the studio changes its plans before release, players on those platforms should be ready to download 007 First Light as soon as it unlocks on launch day.
