What can you do as a free member?

Member benefits illustration

Create your free account today and unlock all our premium features and tools to enhance your gaming experience.

Member benefits illustration

Create your free account today and save articles to your watchlist and get notified when they're updated with new information.

Member benefits illustration

Create your free account today and save your favorite games for quick access later, synced across all your devices.

Member benefits illustration

By creating a Game8 account and logging in, you'll receive instant notifications when someone replies to your posts.

Comment rating feature illustration

By creating a Game8 account and logging in, you can make use of convenient features in the comments section, such as rating and sorting comments.

Premium archive feature illustration

By creating a Game8 account and logging in, you can access Premium articles that are exclusively available to members.

Site Interface

Guest
Free Member
Article Watchlist
Game Bookmarks
Cross-device Sync
Light/Dark Theme Toggle
User Profiles
Direct Feedback
Comment Rating

Game Tools

Guest
Free Member
Interactive Map Access
Interactive Map Pins
Interactive Map Comments
Interactive Map Pins Cross-Device
Check List
Event Choice Checker
Deck Builder Cross-Device
Message Board Notification
Message Board Cross-Device
Build Planner
Stat Calculator
Diagnostic Tool
Weapon/Armor Wishlist

Want more information?Learn more

Zelda: Skyward Sword

How to Pre-Load Skyward Sword HD

6
Add to Watchlist

★All Pieces of Heart & Goddess Cubes Locations
☆How to Get All Gratitude Crystals
★Empty Bottle Guide

Zelda Skyward Sword HD - How to Preload
This is a guide on how to pre-load The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD for the Nintendo Switch. Read on to learn the requirements for pre-loading the game and how to pre-load before its release date.

List of Contents

Preloading Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

Download in Advance

Zelda Skyward Sword HD - Download in Advance
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD can be downloaded in advance before its release date. The full amount of the purchase will be deducted from your Nintendo eShop balance once you place your order.

Pre-orders for the game has already started. Pre-purchase your copy now!

Pre-Order Guide: List of Pre-Order Bonuses

Benefits of Pre-Loading

Zelda Skyward Sword HD - Benefits of Pre-Loading
If you pre-load The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, you will be able to play the game on its release date from 12:00 AM on July 16, 2021.

If you want to be the first on your block to get into the game, pre-loading is the way to go!

How to Pre-Load

Directly from the Nintendo eShop

Step 1
Home Screen Nintendo Eshop
Select the Nintendo eShop on your Nintendo Switch home page.
Step 2
Nintendo Shop Coming Soon
Find The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword HD by searching via the search bar, or by going to the "Coming Soon" section.
Step 3
How to Preload - Select The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword HD
Select The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD.
Step 4
How to Preload - Select Proceed to Pre-order
Select Proceed to Pre-order. (Download will start after confirming the purchase)

The Coming Soon tab is sorted by the date of the game's release. Once you have preloaded Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, you can start playing from 12:00AM on July 16, 2021 in your region. For U.S. players, this will be 12:00AM EST and 9:00PM PST.

Using a Download Card

Step 1
Nintendo Eshop
Select the Nintendo eShop on your Nintendo Switch homepage.
Step 2
Nintendo Shop Enter Code
Select Enter Code from the choices on the left side of the screen.
Step 3 Enter the code from your Download Card. (The game will start downloading after entering the card details and confirming)

You can also pre-load the game using a Download Card. Once you have entered the code from the card, the game will start downloading on your Nintendo Switch.

Pre-Loading Requirements

Free Up Space

Zelda Skyward Sword HD - Free Up Space
When purchasing the digital version of the game, a large amount of space might be needed for you to be able to download it. If you have other game data, consider purchasing an external microSD card or try organizing your storage.

Storage Requirement

Zelda Skyward Sword HD - Storage Requirement
The storage requirement of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is 7.1 GB. If your Nintendo Switch's built-in 32GB of space is full, you may need to delete other game data or use an external microSD card.

Make sure your Nintendo Switch has enough memory space available for the game before pre-loading.

Related Guides

Zelda: Skyward Sword HD News

Comment

See more comments (6 Comments)

Author

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Walkthrough Team
This article was created by Game8's elite team of writers and gamers.
    Leave feedback(Login required)
    Please participate in our site
    improvement survey
    12/2025
    Would you assist in
    improving Game8's site?
    ×
    This survey will take about 1 minute.
    Your answers will help us to improve our website.
    We are listening to our users' valuable opinions and discussing how to act on them.
    The information collected through this survey will be used for the purpose of improving our services. In addition, the information will only be disclosed a part of a statistic in a format that will not allow identification of personal information.
    Begin Survey
    Not Now
    ×
    Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Advertisements.
    Amount of Ads
    Very Dissatisfied
    Somewhat Dissatisfied
    Fine
    Somewhat Satisfied
    Highly Satisfied
    Placement of Ads
    Timing of Ad Display
    Ad Loading Speed
    Safeness of Ads
    Content of Ads
    ×
    Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Quality of Articles.
    Amount of information
    Very Dissatisfied
    Somewhat Dissatisfied
    Fine
    Somewhat Satisfied
    Highly Satisfied
    Frequency of updates
    Speed of new information
    Accuracy of articles
    Understandibility of articles
    Readability of sentences
    ×
    Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Usability of the Site.
    Ease of finding information
    Very Dissatisfied
    Somewhat Dissatisfied
    Fine
    Somewhat Satisfied
    Highly Satisfied
    Loading Speed
    Use of Color
    Font Size
    Visibility of Images
    Easy to Understand Layout
    ×
    Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Message Boards, Comments.
    Ease of Writing
    Very Dissatisfied
    Somewhat Dissatisfied
    Fine
    Somewhat Satisfied
    Highly Satisfied
    Readability
    Ease in Finding Information
    Comment Quality
    Comment Quantity
    Admin Response
    ×
    Please rate each item regarding Game8.co's Site's new design.
    Please rate our site's new design
    Very Dissatisfied
    Somewhat Dissatisfied
    Fine
    Somewhat Satisfied
    Highly Satisfied
    Do you think that the website's design change makes the site easier to use?
    Has the new design made it easier for you to find information on the site?
    Has the new design improved the overall visual appeal of the site?
    How would you rate your overall satisfaction with the new design of the site?
    ×
    How likely are you to recommend Game8 to someone you know?
    Very Unlikely
    0
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10
    Very Likely
    If you have other opinions regarding potential improvement to the website, please share them with us. We would appreciate your honest opinion.
    Note: This is a free response section, so you can proceed without entering anything.
    Note: Please be sure not to enter any kind of personal information into your response.
    ×
    Thank You
    ×
    Thank you for participating in our survey! Your answers will help us to improve the quality of our website and services.
    We hope you continue to make use of Game8.
    Close
    For other opinions or comments, go here.

    Rankings

    Popular Articles
    Message Board
    • We could not find the message board you were looking for.

    Gaming News

    Best PS5 RPGs (December 2025)

    Best PS5 RPGs (December 2025)

    Popular Games

    Recommended Games

    All rights reserved

    © Nintendo. The Legend of Zelda, Nintendo Switch and amiibo are trademarks of Nintendo © 2021 Nintendo.

    The copyrights of videos of games used in our content and other intellectual property rights belong to the provider of the game.
    The contents we provide on this site were created personally by members of the Game8 editorial department.
    We refuse the right to reuse or repost content taken without our permission such as data or images to other sites.

    The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

    Quick Access
    Guide Index

    Walkthrough

    Three Ancient Tablets

    Three Sacred Flames

    Song of the Hero

    Final Battle

    Silent Realms

    Tips and Tricks

    Guides

    Gameplay and Controls

    FAQs

    Enemies

    Bosses

    Enemies

    Mini Games

    Side Quests

    Lumpy Pumpkin

    Gratitude Crystals

    Items

    News

    Characters

    Major Characters

    Other Zelda Wikis

    Japanese Wiki (日本語版)