If the wait for Resident Evil Requiem has become genuinely unbearable, you're not alone. Capcom's latest survival-horror entry puts you in control of both Grace Ashcroft and Leon Kennedy, and the excitement surrounding it has been building to a fever pitch. The good news is that depending on your platform, you can actually jump in ahead of your region's official release time using a well-known timezone exploit called the New Zealand trick.

Can't wait to get into the RE Requiem action?
The New Zealand trick works by changing your console's region to New Zealand, which sits in one of the world's earliest timezones. Because many games unlock at midnight local time in each region, switching your location to New Zealand means you effectively get access before 玩家 in North America, Europe, or Asia. The catch is that this works differently (or not at all) depending on your platform.
Xbox Series X|S is by far the easiest platform for pulling this off. You don't need a second account or any additional purchases. Here's the full process:
That's genuinely it. No workarounds, no second purchases, no region-locked storefronts to navigate. Your existing game license carries over seamlessly.
This is where things get more complicated. On PlayStation 5, your account region is locked in from the moment you create it, and you can't simply switch it in Settings the way you can on Xbox. To have any chance of accessing Resident Evil Requiem early on PS5, you'd need:
Even then, success isn't guaranteed. The New Zealand trick's effectiveness on PlayStation varies from title to title, and Resident Evil Requiem may not cooperate. If you've already bought the game on your main account, you'd be paying twice for no certainty of reward.

PS5 method won't work unfortunately for RE fans
Short answer: no. Steam uses a global simultaneous release rather than a staggered midnight-by-timezone model. That means every PC player on the planet gets access at the exact same moment, so there's no timezone to exploit and no early entry to be had.
If you're on PC, the only option is to wait for the global unlock.

Steam global release timer for RE Requiem
The Nintendo Switch 2 situation is similar to PS5 in terms of complexity. The region-swap trick itself doesn't apply the same way it does on Xbox, but there is a path forward:
If you've already bought the game through your home region's account, you'll be waiting for your local release time rather than purchasing a second copy.
| Platform | Works? | Extra Account Needed? | Extra Purchase Needed? | Guaranteed? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xbox Series X|S | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| PlayStation 5 | Possibly | Yes | Yes | No |
| Nintendo Switch 2 | Possibly | Yes | Yes (if not already owned) | Varies |
| PC (Steam) | No | N/A | N/A | N/A |

Grace Ashcroft in Requiem
If you own Resident Evil Requiem on Xbox Series X|S, this is a no-brainer. The process takes under five minutes, costs nothing extra, and is confirmed to work. It's the cleanest early-access method available for any game using this trick.
For PS5 and Switch 2 owners, weigh the cost of a second purchase against how badly you want those extra hours. In most cases, the wait is the smarter move unless you have a New Zealand account already set up from a previous game.
PC players, unfortunately, are out of luck entirely on this one.
