It’s 11:48 PM and the countdown on your console feels louder than it should. I remember swapping regions on an Xbox to sneak into a midnight launch; my hands were steady even if my pulse wasn’t. If you want those extra hours, you can bend the clock—I’ll walk you through the exact steps.
I’m not promising magic. Think of the New Zealand trick as a time-zone key, and once you flip it your console becomes a passport to earlier playtime. The method is simple: change how your device reports local time or where it thinks you live, and the store lets you in when midnight occurs in that zone.
Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced New Zealand trick explained
Midnight in Wellington arrives hours before midnight in Los Angeles or London. The game launches on consoles region by region, so if your console reports itself as being in New Zealand, the store will treat you like a local and grant access when it hits 00:00 NZST.
You should only attempt this if you have the game preloaded. The trick is legal to perform on your hardware, but it can be fiddly and—on PlayStation—costly in time or money because of account and payment requirements. Ubisoft, Microsoft and Sony each handle store clocks differently, which is why the method you use depends on the platform.
How can I play Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced early?
You change your console’s region or create a New Zealand account so the store thinks it’s already midnight there. On Xbox this is quick: switch region and restart. On PlayStation you need a fresh PSN account set to New Zealand and a NZ payment method or NZ PSN credit. PC players get a separate schedule via Steam/Epic/Ubisoft Connect and generally don’t need any trick.
Xbox
On Xbox, regional settings are exposed and easy to test. Changing them is fast, reversible, and often all you need to do to match the NZ launch clock.
- Power on the console.
- Open Settings.
- Go to System > Time & language.
- Select Region & language.
- Pick New Zealand as the Region.
- Restart the console.
After the restart the console will show New Zealand time. If the game is preloaded and the store recognizes your region, you’ll be able to launch the moment it hits midnight NZST. This is the quickest path on an Xbox Series X|S or older Xbox One units.
Will changing my Xbox region give me early access?
Yes—if the store ties availability to system region. Most players report success by switching to New Zealand and restarting, but confirm your preload completed and that the game isn’t locked by additional account checks.
PlayStation
PlayStation ties your account to a region, so the console won’t let you pretend to live somewhere else without a new PSN profile. That makes the New Zealand trick possible but more cumbersome on PS4/PS5.
To attempt it you must create a new PSN account set to New Zealand, then sign into that account on your PS5 or PS4. You’ll also need a payment method that works on the NZ PlayStation Store—either a New Zealand-issued card, a NZ PayPal linked account, or NZ PSN wallet codes purchased from a reseller.
- Create a new PSN account with New Zealand as the country.
- Sign into that account on your console.
- Redeem NZ PSN credit or add a NZ payment method.
- Purchase or redeem your preload under the new account.
- Wait until midnight in New Zealand on that account to play.
Because you may need to buy the game again on the new account, many players weigh the extra effort against just waiting a few hours. If you already have a NZ payment source or gift cards, the balance shifts toward trying it.
Can I use the New Zealand trick on PlayStation?
Yes, but it’s more work: you must own or fund a New Zealand PSN account and be prepared to manage multiple accounts on your console.
PC and other notes
PC launches follow their own schedule across Steam, Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Connect. I checked the storefront timetables: Ubisoft has a different clock for PC, so no region switch is needed there.
If you play on PC, confirm the preload, check the Ubisoft Connect timer, and be online at the scheduled minute. If you use cloud saves, sign in ahead of time so you’re not slowed by authentication at launch.
Ready to spend those extra hours chasing ships and ghosts, or would you rather wait and join everyone else at a normal hour?