Here's when you can play Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
Gotta buy ‘em all.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are hours away from release on Nintendo Switch, so we want to make sure all eager trainers are prepared for launch. Below, we outline all you need to know on day one including the games’ expected release time, file size, and potential pre-order bonuses. There are lots of exciting details to cover, so let’s get right to it.
When is the Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl release time?
According to an eShop release page on the Nintendo support website, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl should both release around 12 a.m. Eastern November 19. In other words, if you’re playing on the West Coast, that may mean you can start playing as soon as 9 p.m. Pacific on November 18.
Are you ready for some classic Pokémon battling action on November 19? The game is expected to release at 12 a.m. Eastern.
Unfortunately, eShop release times are hardly an exact science when it comes to Nintendo, but these are the best guesses we have at the time of publication. If midnight rolls around and the games still aren’t ready to download, it may take an additional 15-20 minutes to get everything populated.
What is the Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl file size?
With regard to clearing space on your SD Card or internal memory, we can be a lot more definitive. According to the game’s eShop page, Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl weigh about 6.7GB each. If you intend on buying both games to get the full dex, you’ll need a whopping 13.4 GB of free space to keep both installed at the same time.
What are the Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl pre-order bonuses?
Since there’s technically still time to get your pre-order in before launch, we also thought it might be important to recap some of the bonuses trainers can receive for purchasing the game early. As expected, the reward you get depends on if you opt to pre-purchase the game digitally from the eShop or at a physical retailer.
eShop pre-order bonus
If you buy the game prior to release via the Nintendo eShop, there are two bonus packages depending on if you buy a standalone game for $59 or the $119 double pack. A single game offers one Manaphy Egg and 12 Quick Balls, while the double pack offers both of those bonuses plus a stash of 200 Poké Balls.
Physical pre-order for all retailers
No matter where you buy, you should be able to get a bonus. But this is once again dictated by purchasing the $59 single game or $119 double pack. The single offers a Manaphy Egg, while the double offers a Manaphy Egg and 12 Quick Balls. Unless you want one of the retailer-specific bonuses we're about to detail, pre-ordering from the eShop is a much better deal.
Best Buy Pre-Orders
At Best Buy you can get a keychain featuring the games’ three starters. This bonus, however, is limited to the $119 double pack.
GameStop Pre-Orders
Pre-ordering the double pack at GameStop offers a set of Dialga and Palkia pins.
If you buy from GameStop you can snag this pin set.
Walmart Pre-Orders
Again focused on the double pack, Walmart is offering three pens featuring the games’ starters.
If pins aren’t your thing, maybe pens are instead.
Pokémon Center Pre-Orders
Unlike all the other options, Pokémon Center has a physical pre-order perk whether you buy one standalone game or both games in the double pack. Pay $59 and you’ll get a random keychain featuring one of the starters. Those who get the double pack will receive all three starter keychains. Unfortunately, these seem to be out of stock right now, though.
That’s all you need to know about the launch of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
