Last week’s Nintendo Switch 4.0 update brought with it a slew of changes for the hybrid console’s hardware, including video capture, GameCube controller support, and even the ability to pre-download and pre-order games digitally before its launch. This highly-requested feature has been noticeably absent for the system since its release back in March of this year.
Nintendo’s previous console,Wii U, had the feature compatible with many games and now the Switch allows for pre-downloading as well. It’s clear that the feature came at this time for a reason, as the release of Super Mario Odyssey is rapidly approaching.
Now only a couple of days away from the launch of one of the biggest games of this year, pre-download and purchasing is available for Super Mario Odyssey. It is a simple process similar to normally purchasing a Switch game, with only a few extra steps that we’ll outline down below.
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Super Mario Odyssey is a relatively small download size compared to other games like Breath of the Wild’s 13.4GB, clocking in at only 5.7GB. That is larger than other Nintendo Switch first-party titles like the 2.2GB size of Arms and 3.1GB needed for Splatoon 2, and Odyssey’s own predecessor Super Mario 3D World that was 1.7GB on Wii U.
Regardless, pre-downloading is a welcome feature, especially for those with slower Internet connections. This means you will be able to play Super Mario Odyssey as soon as it goes live at midnight on Friday in your region. Here is how you pre-download and pre-purchase the game on your Switch:
- First, make sure you have your system updated by going to settings
- Go all the way to the bottom to system
- Choose system update and make sure your Switch has 4.0
- From the Switch home screen, select the eShop and your preferred user
- On the left side of the screen, go down to the Coming Soon section
- Scroll through the upcoming games until you see Super Mario Odyssey and go to it
- On the right side, select “proceed to purchase”
- Confirm your purchase
- If it doesn’t automatically download, select your user in the upper right corner
- Go to redownload and download it from there
- Enjoy!
Opinion: Pre-downloading is a welcome feature for Switch and I’m glad to have it. In fact, I’ve already pre-purchased Super Mario Odyssey as you can see above and can’t wait for 9 p.m. PDT tomorrow night!
