Nightingale could very well be the next big survival game, so anyone eager to start playing immediately will want to know if they can preload it in advance.
Preloading games essentially means you can install them before they officially launch, allowing you to jump in without having to sit through long installation times. With Nightingale scheduled to launch today in just a few short hours at 11am CT, latecomers are likely frantically searching for how to preload it in preparation. If you haven’t found out how, well, there’s a reason for that.
Is Nightingale available for preload?
No, there’s no option to preload Nightingale via either Steam or the Epic Games Store. If you check both storefronts, you’ll see there’s only an option to wishlist Nightingale. You can’t even pre-order it, meaning it doesn’t even display a price.
For the record, Nightingale is being sold as a premium title, meaning it’s not free-to-play. Don’t bother checking console storefronts for it either because PC is the only platform Nightingale is launching for.
As for why there is no preloading, it’s simply because Nightingale is launching in early access. Steam’s policy forbids studios from allowing people to pre-order games if they are in early access since they’re technically unfinished products. The purpose of early access is to receive feedback from players ahead of a full release.
This means you may need to wait a while longer before you can start playing Nightingale if you don’t have the most stable internet connection. With no option to prepare for its launch beforehand, you can only start installing it once it becomes available. There’s also no telling how popular Nightingale will get, so hopefully, its servers can handle any large and sudden influx of players. Although between the pedigree of its development staff (which includes former members of BioWare) and positive previews such as ours, there’s bound to be a lot of interest during its first few days.