The former England full-back and Man of Steel has completed a 14-month ban for cocaine use and will make his first appearance for his new club Wigan in a pre-season friendly at Salford.
"I can't wait," said Hardaker, who was sacked by Castleford in February 2018. "I've been itching to get back for a long while.
"I feel really good. I'm looking forward to running the ball into someone, although I'm trying not to get too excited. Just to be out there, I'll feel really privileged. I'll probably look up to my mum in the stand and realise what would have been and where I am now."
Wigan agreed to honour the four-year contract they gave to the former Leeds and Castleford man in May 2018 despite him being handed a driving ban, after signing for the Warriors, in October last year.
He was caught more than twice over the limit, just days after starting training with his new club.
In return, Hardaker spent a month at the Sporting Chance Clinic in an effort to rid himself of alcohol dependence and says he is grateful for the help he has received.
"The club have been brilliant." he said. "They really stood by me and spoke to me nearly every other day while I was away and spoke to my girlfriend and my family.
"There's a great feeling of belonging. I'm just trying to make myself a better person. I probably thought the world owed me rugby league but I'm in debt to rugby league. I'm probably more humbled than I have been before and really grateful for where I am now."
Wigan's new head coach Adrian Lam is confident the 27-year-old Hardaker can finally put his troubled past behind him.
"I think his head's in a great place," Lam said. "Time will tell but as a club, we've invested a lot of time and effort making him a better person and help him make better choices.
"It's my role to make him a better player and I think our priority is to make sure he stays grounded.
"He's bought into it really well. I can see some happiness in him."
