Well, it took a bit longer than the Western audience would have preferred, but we’ve finally reached the eve of the Dark Souls 3 release date. Beginning Tuesday morning, millions of gamers in Europe and North America will shirk their usual weekday responsibilities in favor of exploring the kingdom of Lothric and trying to overcome the first wave of its many, many challenges. Of course, not everyone wants to wait until business resumes on Tuesday morning to pick up their copy of Dark Souls 3. Fortunately, there are a few stores willing to help out.
We've rounded up information on a few of the retail chains that will/won’t be open late on Monday night. Obviously, this won't be a complete list of places where you can/can't find a copy of Dark Souls 3. There are always mom and pop shops, local entertainment store, etc. But if you’re just trying to check on GameStop or Best Buy’s launch plans, we’ve got you covered.
So, without further adieu, here are some of the retailers planning to sell Dark Souls 3 at midnight (or earlier) on April 11:
Dark Souls 3 Midnight Launch - Best Buy
Sadly, Best Buy will continue their streak of ignoring major game launches. It probably couldn’t hurt to call your local store, since we’ve heard of individual stores getting clearance to host their own events for games that are big with their customer base. But the dedicated gaming events page on Best Buy’s website doesn’t have anything listed for Monday night. So there’s a good chance you’ll need to find another store if you want to pick up Dark Souls 3 on Monday night.
Those who do pre-order a copy of Dark Souls 3 from Best Buy will receive the Day One edition, which includes the game’s official strategy guide, soundtrack and a Day One game sleeve.
Dark Souls 3 Midnight Launch - GameStop
As we’ve come to expect for any major game launch, GameStop will be open late on Monday night. Even better, the GameStop events page confirms the video game retailer will use the same release schedule we’ve seen for numerous other midnight launches over the last few months. That means everyone gets to pick up their copy of Dark Souls 3 at 12:01 a.m. EST, even if they live a bit (or a lot) further west than the iDigi offices.
Those who pre-order Dark Souls 3 from GameStop will also receive the Day One edition, which includes the game’s official strategy guide, soundtrack and a Day One game sleeve.
Dark Souls 3 Midnight Launch - Other Stores
Even if you don't have a Best Buy or GameStop in your neighborhood, it's not necessarily time to panic yet. Walmart stores are usually open 24/7 and tend to stock plenty of copies of major releases like Dark Souls 3. Give your local store a call, make sure they won't be closed on Monday night, and head down to the big box retailer to grab your copy of DS3.
Unfortunately, Target stores typically don’t host midnight launches anymore. But it couldn't hurt to give your store a call if they're the only option. On the plus side, of the two chains covered in this section, Target is the only one offering the Dark Souls 3 Day One edition to its customers.
Dark Souls 3 Midnight Launch - PSN, Steam and Xbox Live
Worst case scenario, if there aren't any other options for picking up a copy of Dark Souls 3 in your city, and/or you'd prefer to get a digital copy, you can still pre-order the game via PSN, Steam or Xbox Live. Digital game sales don't typically unlock until 3 a.m. EST, to give brick-and-mortar stores a fighting chance. But if you don't have a ride, or there's not a midnight launch isn't scheduled in your area, at least you can still get a jumpstart on friends who waited until after work/school on Tuesday to pick up Dark Souls 3. It's also worth pointing out the Steam page for Dark Souls 3 still says purchases will unlock around 6:00 p.m. EST on Monday night.
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Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com and follow Scott on Twitter for more Dark Souls 3 coverage throughout the rest of 2015 and for however long FromSoftware continues to support Dark Souls 3 in the months following launch.
