GTA 6 unlocks on Thursday, 19 November 2026 at midnight local time on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Pre-loading is already live: it opened on 10 November, at local midnight on PS5 and at 12 a.m. GMT on Xbox. You need up to 212 GB of free space. Below are the unlock times by region, who can pre-load, how the boxed Code-in-Box version works and what to check before launch night.
What time does GTA 6 come out?
Rockstar and Sony both say Grand Theft Auto VI releases at midnight local time on 19 November 2026, on PlayStation 5 and on Xbox Series X|S. The game does not unlock everywhere at once. It rolls out as midnight moves around the globe, so players in Australia and Japan start hours before Europe.
The table below uses the exact unlock timestamps from the Xbox Store listing in each market, converted to UTC so you can compare them at a glance.
| Region (Xbox Store) | Local unlock | UTC |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (east) | 19 Nov, 12:00 a.m. AEDT | 18 Nov, 13:00 |
| Japan | 19 Nov, 12:00 a.m. JST | 18 Nov, 15:00 |
| Germany, Czechia | 19 Nov, 12:00 a.m. CET | 18 Nov, 23:00 |
| United Kingdom | 19 Nov, 12:00 a.m. GMT | 19 Nov, 00:00 |
| United States | 19 Nov, 12:00 a.m. ET | 19 Nov, 05:00 |
A note for US players
The US Xbox Store lists a single unlock for the whole country, tied to Eastern time. That puts the West Coast start at 9 p.m. PT on Wednesday, 18 November. Rockstar has not published a breakdown by US time zone, so treat the Eastern-time unlock as the store listing rather than a Rockstar statement.
GTA 6 pre-load times on PS5 and Xbox
Rockstar opened pre-loading on Tuesday, 10 November, nine days before launch. The two consoles started at different moments:
| Console | Pre-load start | Example |
|---|---|---|
| PlayStation 5 | 10 Nov, midnight local time | UK: 10 Nov, 12:00 a.m. GMT |
| Xbox Series X|S | 10 Nov, 12:00 a.m. GMT, worldwide | US: 9 Nov, 7:00 p.m. EST |
Pre-loading is open to everyone who pre-ordered GTA 6 digitally. If you have not pre-ordered yet, doing it now starts the download. You can install the game early, but it will not launch before your region’s unlock time.
Code-in-Box copies
The physical version of GTA 6 is a Code-in-Box: the box holds a download code. Retailers have it from 12 November 2026. Once you redeem the code, you can pre-load just like a digital buyer. If you are waiting for a box, redeem it as soon as it arrives rather than on launch night.
GTA 6 file size
Rockstar says the pre-load needs up to 212 GB depending on your device, and PlayStation Support asks for 212 GB of free space on PS5. There are no official separate figures for PS5, Series X and Series S, so plan for 212 GB on any console and keep a little headroom.
Clear the space early. If a full drive stops the download on launch night, you lose the head start that pre-loading is meant to give you.
Launch night checklist
PlayStation’s GTA 6 support page lists these steps, and most of them apply on Xbox too:
- check that the pre-order sits on the right account,
- redeem your code if you bought the boxed version,
- start the pre-load and confirm it finished,
- free up storage,
- update your console’s system software,
- on PS5, leave the console in rest mode and check Console Sharing and Offline Play.
Prices, editions and the pre-order bonus are covered in GTA 6 essentials.
Cloud, Xbox One and PC
If you would rather skip the download, GTA 6 will also be on Xbox Cloud Gaming, on Xbox Series X|S and on Xbox One, using the Xbox Series S graphics settings. The details are in our GTA VI cloud news story.
A PC version has not been announced, and the official site lists only PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. To catch up on the older games before launch, see the GTA series order.
Join our Discord to talk GTA 6 and share first impressions after launch: Discord GamersTogether.
FAQ
At midnight local time on 19 November 2026, on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. In the UK that is 12 a.m. GMT, in Germany 12 a.m. CET.
Yes, if you pre-ordered it digitally. Pre-loading opened on 10 November at local midnight on PS5 and at 12 a.m. GMT on Xbox Series X|S.
Rockstar says the pre-load needs up to 212 GB depending on your device. There are no official separate figures for each console.
No. The US Xbox Store unlocks it at 12 a.m. Eastern, which is 5 a.m. UTC on 19 November. On the West Coast that means 9 p.m. PT on 18 November.
Information verified on 12 November 2026. More guides to the series are in the GTA hub.