'Super Mario Maker' 3DS Release Date and Time: Preload to start playing as soon as you can

Super Mario Maker was a big hit when it launched in September 2015 for the Wii U. Now the level-building game is set to arrive on Nintendo 3DS. Here's how to preload the game so you can start playing as soon as it's released.

Super Mario Maker 3DS release date and time

Super Mario Maker for the 3DS is set to launch Friday in North America. Nintendo hasn't said exactly what time it will be available, but the company's released new games at midnight Eastern in the recent past.

If that's the case for Super Mario Maker, the game should be available at midnight, Dec. 2 on the East Coast and by 9 p.m. on Dec 1 on the West Coast. Japanese gamers actually got the game a day earlier than North America, and Australia won't see the release until Saturday, according to Nintendo's official video announcement.

Super Mario Maker 3DS preload

If you want to start playing Super Mario Maker on your 3DS as soon as possible you should start preloading the game immediately. Just head to the eShop and you can start downloading the game now. You'll need 365.125 MB of free space, according to NintendoEverything. So you might need to delete some old files to make room for the new release.

Once you've preloaded Super Mario Maker on your 3DS, you should be good to go. As soon as Nintendo releases the game you'll get a small update to install. After that, you should be building new Mario levels in no time.