Final Fantasy 16: Pre-load time, file size and how to install early

Development on FF16 began in earnest back in 2016 by the team at Square Enix, headed by producer Naoki Yoshida with director Hiroshi Takai at his side.

The two first worked together in the late 2000s on a cancelled ARPG that was said to be similar to Bloodborne before it was even a twinkle in FromSoftware’s eyes.

They went on to save Final Fantasy 14 before embarking on their current venture to create Final Fantasy 16 - which will feature many characters who will be brought to life by some familiar voices and a protagonist with a divisive name.

Because of its sprawling scope and lengthy development time, you can expect that the final release will be rather large - so read on to get ahead and find out how to pre-load FF16, when pre-loads begin, the file size and how to install it early.

When is the FF16 pre-load time?

The FF16 pre-load time is 20th June 2023, 12AM BST. That corresponds with 48 hours local time prior to midnight on the launch date of 22nd June - so you can start downloading right this second.

If you can’t wait to get started, be sure to check out how to play the Final Fantasy 16 demo, but don’t worry about wasting any of your time as any progress made in the demo will carry over to the main game - so you’ll be able to pick up from where you left off without the need to replay through an entire act. Very lovely indeed!

Read more:

• FF16 review - our final verdict
• FF16 Clive actor - Ben Starr in his own words
• FF16 trophy guide - all trophies listed
• FF16 chapters - main story levels
• How long is FF16 and is it open-world?
• FF16 cast - where you know them from
• FF16 characters - families and factions explained
• FF16 soundtrack - composer and details
• FF16 PC release - what we know
• Will FF16 come to PS4 and Xbox?

How big is the FF16 file size?

The FF16 file size is 90.18GB. You’ll want to make sure you have enough space on your PS5’s SSD as, like many new games these days, it’s a rather large one.

You won’t need to fret about the day-one patch delaying you any further either, as this 300MB download is included in the pre-load and is a drop in the ocean compared with the gargantuan main game.

The title was going to be even bigger, Yoshida told Famitsu in a recent interview, but they managed to squeeze the game down - meaning it requires only one Blu-ray, unlike the upcoming Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.

How to pre-load FF16

To pre-load FF16 you need to have pre-ordered the Standard or Deluxe edition and you will then see an option to pre-load Final Fantasy 16 in your game library.

If you haven’t pre-ordered FF16, choose which version of the game you want on the PlayStation store and you can press the pre-load button from there too.

Unfortunately, you won’t be able to pre-load the game if you have pre-ordered a physical version of the release, so you will have to wait until the disc is in your PS5, is installed and patched.

Fortunately that shouldn’t take too long, though, and you’ll be able to hop into the Realm of Valisthea in no time.

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