After eight long years, Dead Island 2 is right around the corner, and fans of the 2014 original can’t wait to get their hands on its long-awaited sequel. While Dead Rising 2 is set to release on April 21st, 2023, some Xbox players hope to shorten the wait by utilizing an exploit known as the “New Zealand trick.” For those unfamiliar, here’s how to pull off the New Zealand trick and play Dead Island 2 early.
What’s the New Zealand Trick?
The New Zealand trick is a sort-off “real-world glitch” that has become well-known among Xbox owners. By utilizing it, players can play the Xbox versions of popular games like Hogwarts Legacy a full day before they are released in their local region. To pull the New Zealand trick off, you only need an Xbox and a basic understanding of how time zones work.
First, go into your Xbox’s Settings menu and head into the System menu. From there, select “Language and location” and change your “Language” and “Location” settings from whatever they’re on to “English (New Zealand)” and “New Zealand.” With these changes, your console will think it’s in New Zealand and will be running in New Zealand standard time.
Related: What Time Does Dead Island 2 Come Out?
New Zealand’s time zone is twelve hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (or UTC), the world’s primary standard of time measurement. As a result, New Zealand is one of the first countries on the planet to hit midnight, giving the residents of Aotearoa a chance to see movies and play video games before they become available to the rest of the world.
Outside of the New Zealand trick, there’s no way to play Dead Island 2 early. Unlike many modern games, Dead Island 2 has not offered players early access, with only a few gaming publications and influencers receiving pre-release copies. So unless you’re lucky enough to find a retailer who’s gotten their hands on the game early, you’ll have to mess with the space-time continuum to play Dead Island 2 before release.
