GTA 6 Waypoints

GTA 6 release date and unlock times: Nov 19 launch, Nov 12 pre-load

Grand Theft Auto VI launches on Thursday, November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and pre-load opens at local midnight on November 12. Rockstar hasn't announced unlock times yet; our estimate is local midnight in most regions and midnight Eastern across the US, labelled Unverified below.

Confirmed Updated

GTA 6 launches in

Thursday, November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S Confirmed Source

Key dates

Date What happens Status
Nov 9, 2026 Take-Two's last earnings call before launch (4:30 p.m. ET) Confirmed
Nov 12, 2026 Pre-load opens at local midnight Confirmed
Nov 12, 2026 Physical copies ship and are ready for store pickup Confirmed
Nov 19, 2026 Launch day on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S Confirmed
Nov 20, 2026 Purchases from this day on don't get the Vintage Vice City Pack Confirmed

Sources: Rockstar press release, Rockstar Support, Take-Two IR.

Release date

GTA 6 unlock times by region

Unverified — testing Assumed, not announced.

Rockstar and the stores haven't posted unlock times yet. These assume the game unlocks at local midnight on November 19 in each store region, except the US, where we assume one nationwide unlock at midnight Eastern. That US time matches the release time in the US Xbox Store listing's data (05:00 UTC), which is store metadata, not an announcement. We'll switch this to Confirmed the moment Rockstar or the stores publish times.

The midnight wave

If unlocks follow local midnight, New Zealand goes first and the US goes last, 18 hours later. US Pacific players would get it at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, November 18, under the midnight-Eastern assumption.

  1. New ZealandFirst
  2. Australia (Sydney, Melbourne)+2h
  3. Japan+4h
  4. South Korea+4h
  5. Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan+5h
  6. India+8h
  7. UAE+9h
  8. South Africa+11h
  9. Central Europe (Germany, France, Spain)+12h
  10. UK and Ireland+13h
  11. Brazil (São Paulo)+16h
  12. US Central+18h
  13. US Eastern+18h
  14. US Mountain+18h
  15. US Pacific+18h

All 15 regions

Store regionAssumed unlock (local time)UTCStatus
New ZealandThu, Nov 19, 12:00 AM2026-11-18 11:00Unverified — testing
Australia (Sydney, Melbourne)Thu, Nov 19, 12:00 AM2026-11-18 13:00Unverified — testing
JapanThu, Nov 19, 12:00 AM2026-11-18 15:00Unverified — testing
South KoreaThu, Nov 19, 12:00 AM2026-11-18 15:00Unverified — testing
Hong Kong, Singapore, TaiwanThu, Nov 19, 12:00 AM2026-11-18 16:00Unverified — testing
IndiaThu, Nov 19, 12:00 AM2026-11-18 18:30Unverified — testing
UAEThu, Nov 19, 12:00 AM2026-11-18 20:00Unverified — testing
South AfricaThu, Nov 19, 12:00 AM2026-11-18 22:00Unverified — testing
Central Europe (Germany, France, Spain)Thu, Nov 19, 12:00 AM2026-11-18 23:00Unverified — testing
UK and IrelandThu, Nov 19, 12:00 AM2026-11-19 00:00Unverified — testing
Brazil (São Paulo)Thu, Nov 19, 12:00 AM2026-11-19 03:00Unverified — testing
US CentralWed, Nov 18, 11:00 PM2026-11-19 05:00Unverified — testing
US EasternThu, Nov 19, 12:00 AM2026-11-19 05:00Unverified — testing
US MountainWed, Nov 18, 10:00 PM2026-11-19 05:00Unverified — testing
US PacificWed, Nov 18, 9:00 PM2026-11-19 05:00Unverified — testing

These are assumptions: each store region follows its main time zone, and your unlock follows your console account's region, not where you are right now.

The countdown at the top runs to midnight where you are. If the US unlock really is nationwide at midnight Eastern, players in Central, Mountain and Pacific time get it one to three hours before their own midnight.

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Pre-load

  • Confirmed Pre-load starts at local midnight on November 12, 2026, one week before launch. Rockstar Support
  • Confirmed Codes redeemed before launch, including the codes in physical boxes, can pre-load from that point too. Rockstar Support

Rockstar hasn't announced the download size. Clear space before November 12 so the pre-load isn't stuck waiting on you.

Physical copies

  • Confirmed Physical copies ship and are available for store pickup from November 12. Rockstar Support
  • Confirmed The box contains a download code. "A disc will not be included in the box." Rockstar Support

Edition details are on GTA 6 editions compared.

PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X|S

  • Confirmed The PlayStation Store lists GTA 6 as PS5 Pro Enhanced. PlayStation Store
  • Confirmed The Xbox Store listing carries the "Optimized for Xbox Series X|S" tag. Xbox Store

Sony and Rockstar haven't said what the PS5 Pro enhancements are.

How the date moved

When What changed Status
Original plan A fall 2025 release window Confirmed
First delay Moved to May 26, 2026 Confirmed
Nov 2025 Delayed again to November 19, 2026 Confirmed
May 21, 2026 Take-Two reaffirms November 19 in its earnings report Confirmed
Jun 24, 2026 Pre-order press release repeats November 19 Confirmed
Aug 7, 2026 Take-Two reaffirms November 19 in its Q1 results Confirmed
  • Confirmed The release moved twice: from the original fall 2025 window to May 26, 2026, then to November 19, 2026. Rockstar Newswire, Variety
  • Confirmed Rockstar said the extra time was to finish the game "with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve." Rockstar Newswire
  • Confirmed Take-Two reaffirmed the date in May 2026 and again on August 7, 2026. Take-Two IR, May 21, Take-Two IR, Aug 7
  • Confirmed Take-Two reports its fiscal Q2 2027 results on Monday, November 9, 2026, after US markets close, with a call at 4:30 p.m. ET. It's the last scheduled investor update before launch. Take-Two IR

For everything else Rockstar has announced, see everything confirmed about GTA 6.

Sources

  1. Rockstar Games press release (Take-Two IR, Jun 24, 2026)
  2. Rockstar Support: Grand Theft Auto VI platforms, editions and versions
  3. Rockstar Newswire: Grand Theft Auto VI is now set to launch November 19, 2026
  4. Variety: GTA 6 release delayed to November 2026
  5. Take-Two IR: fiscal Q4 2026 results (May 21, 2026)
  6. Take-Two IR: fiscal Q1 2027 results (Aug 7, 2026)
  7. Take-Two IR: Q2 fiscal 2027 results date (Nov 9, 2026)
  8. PlayStation Store: Grand Theft Auto VI
  9. Xbox Store: Grand Theft Auto VI