So I pre-ordered Sleeping Dogs off of Steam. This is the first time I've ever pre-ordered anything and I was curious what to expect. 
 
I assume it will just appear in games list tomorrow?
What time of day do they usually go up? 
And are downloads usually slower when a game first goes up (I have no idea how Steam divides server loads)?

It'll be in your list when you pre-order it.

Usually 10am Washington time.

Not that I have noticed, but I guess it depends on your connection/which server you DL from.

Also, potentially highly sought after cosmetic items for Team Fortress 2.

Also, potentially highly sought after cosmetic items for Team Fortress 2.

Sometimes you'll have to restart your Steam client to get the game to unlock/launch after the timer counts down to zero.

yeah if you pre-ordered and your game has a pre-load... it will download the files and need about 1 meg more to complete the download which is usually the decryption files that steam downloads on launch day and will make it playable. Like i've already downloaded Darksiders 2 on my PC from steam but I can't play it because i don't have the decryption files. I don't know if sleeping dogs has a pre-load but the game will just appear on your games list if you pre-ordered after you restart steam when it's available.

Lots of games let you download before they're actually released. For instance, I was able to download Daksiders II a few days ago. Sleeping Dogs doesn't seem to be on that train though (I have both preordered).