Dead Island 2 “New Zealand trick” – can you play it early?

Dead Island 2 “New Zealand trick” – can you play it early?
Amaar Chowdhury Updated on by

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With the game set for a launch not too long away, many gamers will be wondering if you can play Dead Island 2 early with the so-called “New Zealand trick.”

Dead Island 2 is set for a release on 21st April, however at the time of writing, there’s not an exact release time just yet. If you’re hoping to play the game early – the New Zealand trick is likely on your mind. Firstly, you might want to know what exactly it is.

In the past, it has been possible to get onto some games early by making use of the New Zealand trick. The New Zealand time-zone is the furthest forward time-zone in the world (that we know of) and they will be the first people to reach April 21st. This has led many to believe that switching your PCs time-zone to that of NZ’s, you can access the game early.

However, the developers of games such as Modern Warfare 2 and Minecraft Legends have caught onto the trick, and have implemented fail-safes. With global launch times set for games now, it could be possible that Dead Island 2 will have the same protection in place.

Can you play Dead Island 2 early with the “New Zealand Trick”?

Before you get ahead of yourself and try out the New Zealand trick for Dead Island 2, you may want to read this Reddit thread. DI2 fan Datboiduck attempted the trick, only to then see his game delayed by a whole day.

This is the only occurrence of the NZ trick resulting in this delay recorded, however, if you don’t want to be the second person, we’d advise avoiding attempting the exploit.


It’s possible that you’re going to be able to play Dead Island 2 early with the New Zealand trick. As mentioned before, there could be fail-safes in place implemented by the developers to prevent people from making use of this trick. However, that doesn’t mean it still won’t work. There’s a chance that the developers of Dead Island 2 haven’t factored this in yet, and the game could very well be available earlier in some time-zones than others.

We won’t know for certain if the New Zealand trick is going to work until Midnight in Aotearoa. If it does work, we’ll be sure to let you know.

How to use the New Zealand trick?

We don’t know if it will work, however if it does work, here’s how you’ll be able to do it.

Simply, change the time zone on your games console or PC to that of New Zealand by using a VPN. After this, if the trick works, you’ll be able to play the game at the same time as those in NZ.

Frequently Asked Questions

Could the New Zealand trick get you banned?

We don’t think it’s likely that the New Zealand trick will get you banned, however you could need to re-install the game.

Is the New Zealand trick going to work with Dead Island 2?

We predict that it’s not going to work with Dead Island 2.