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Key art of Lucia, holding a pistol and a briefcase, and Jason aiming a pistol on a wooden dock, with a police boat, a helicopter and the Vice City skyline behind them
Image: Rockstar Games via IGDB
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GTA 6 pre-load and release time: dates, price and editions

Pre-loading opens November 12 for digital copies. What the PlayStation Store says about the unlock time, what the $20 Ultimate upgrade adds, and the PC report.

8 min read

Updated November 1, 2026.

At a glance
Release dateNov 19, 2026PS5 · Xbox Series X|S
Pre-loadNov 12Digital pre-orders, 7 days early
Price$79.99Standard · Ultimate $99.99
US unlock12 a.m. ETPS Store timestamp, not a Rockstar time
PC versionNot announcedGamesBeat reports Q1 2027
Download210 GB?PS5, datamined, unconfirmed
Key facts
Game
Grand Theft Auto VI
Release date
Thursday, November 19, 2026
Release time
Not announced by Rockstar (US PS Store lists midnight ET)
Pre-load
From November 12, 2026 (digital pre-orders)
Platforms
PS5 (PS5 Pro Enhanced), Xbox Series X|S
Price (US)
$79.99 Standard, $99.99 Ultimate
Download size
Not published (210 GB on PS5 per a datamine, unconfirmed)
Rating
ESRB M (Mature 17+)
Developer
Rockstar North / Rockstar Games
Publisher
Rockstar Games (Take-Two Interactive)
Source
Rockstar, Take-Two, PlayStation and Xbox stores; size from a PlayStation datamine via Engadget

Sony's regional stores have settled a question Rockstar hasn't answered: every PlayStation Store we checked lists midnight local time on November 19, from New Zealand (11:00 UTC on November 18) to the US (05:00 UTC).

When does the GTA 6 pre-load start?

Digital copies of GTA 6 can start pre-loading on November 12, 2026, seven days before the GTA 6 release date of November 19. Rockstar's pre-order announcement says that's "to ensure they are able to play at launch on November 19," and the PlayStation Store lists a "7-Day Pre-load" for both editions.

Neither Rockstar nor the stores give a pre-load hour. The PlayStation listing's "7-Day Pre-load" counts back from its unlock timestamp, so expect the download to open around local midnight on November 12 (9 p.m. PT on November 11 in the US). That's our reading of the store data, not a confirmed time.

Boxed copies have no disc: the Rockstar Store says they "will only contain a download code inside the box to support pre-load on November 12," and Take-Two's press release puts them on sale that day.

Rockstar hasn't published a download size. A PlayStation dataminer put the PS5 download at 210 GB, a figure Engadget reports Insider Gaming corroborated; treat it as unconfirmed until the store pages show a size.

What time does GTA 6 unlock?

Rockstar hasn't announced an unlock time. The US PlayStation Store listing does carry one: it gives the release as 11/19/2026 05:00 AM UTC, which is midnight Eastern on November 19 (9 p.m. Pacific on November 18). That's Sony's store timestamp, not a Rockstar statement. The Xbox Store pages show only the date, but their product data is staggered the same way: 05:00 UTC in the US, midnight in the UK and 11:00 UTC on November 18 in New Zealand. That stagger is what the "New Zealand trick" guides rely on; neither Microsoft nor Rockstar has said whether switching your console's region gets you in early.

Every other regional PlayStation Store we checked lists midnight local time, so the game rolls out region by region. Times and prices below are from each store; the local times are our conversion of the store's UTC timestamp.

PlayStation StoreUnlock (local)UTCStandardUltimate
New ZealandMidnight NZDT, Nov 1911:00, Nov 18NZ$139.95NZ$174.95
AustraliaMidnight AEDT, Nov 1913:00, Nov 18A$129.95A$159.95
JapanMidnight JST, Nov 1915:00, Nov 18¥9,800¥12,280
Germany, FranceMidnight CET, Nov 1923:00, Nov 18€79.99€99.99
UKMidnight GMT, Nov 1900:00, Nov 19£69.99£89.99
USMidnight ET, Nov 19 (9 p.m. PT, Nov 18)05:00, Nov 19$79.99$99.99
CanadaMidnight ET, Nov 1905:00, Nov 19C$109.99C$139.99

How much does GTA 6 cost, and what's in the Ultimate Edition?

GTA 6 costs $79.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition in the US, per Take-Two and both console stores; the table above has other regions.

Highlights from the PlayStation Store's list of what the upgrade adds: a '95 Grotti Cheetah, his-and-hers Hawk and Little Morgan revolvers, engraved versions of Jason's and Lucia's pistols, a '67 Vapid Dominator buggy with its own garage, outfits and tattoos, a raid on the PTT Youngin$ compound, a Classic Car Collection commission from a fixer called Wyman, and five shops that only open with the upgrade: Rideout Customs, Sara's Unisex Salon, Stock 305, Electric Fang Tattoo and One-Eyed Willie's. On Xbox, Standard plus the $20 upgrade comes to the same $99.99 as Ultimate; PlayStation lists the upgrade but doesn't sell it yet.

A white sports car with a red stripe over the hood and red lower trim, parked outside a curved tower signed Pegassi Residences South Tower
Image: Rockstar Games

Rockstar says all pre-orders and purchases before November 20 get the Vintage Vice City Pack, so launch-day buyers still qualify. Rockstar's GTA VI site lists what's in it: a '55 Vapid Stanier sedan with a Shore Court garage near Ocean Beach, outfits and hairstyles for Jason and Lucia, and a tropical weapon pattern inspired by Tommy Vercetti's palm tree shirt. Digital copies bought by November 19, pre-order or launch day, also come with a free month of GTA+. PlayStation says it must be claimed by March 31, 2027; Xbox gives you 180 days from your pre-order.

Jason, in a grey blazer and tinted glasses, and Lucia, in a red sequin dress, hold handguns outside the neon Ocean View Hotel with a red '55 Vapid Stanier sedan behind them
Image: Rockstar Games

Has GTA 6 been delayed again?

No. It's still Thursday, November 19, 2026, the date on our November 2026 release calendar. Rockstar set that date in a November 2025 Newswire post, after an earlier move to May 26, 2026 announced in May 2025.

Its Launch Trailer post from October 15 still ends with "Grand Theft Auto VI arrives November 19 to PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X|S."

Is GTA 6 on PC or PS4?

No. GTA 6 launches only on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation's game page says it "will not be available for PlayStation 4 consoles." With no PC version dated, it isn't on our upcoming PC games list.

GamesBeat reported on October 13, citing four industry sources, that Rockstar plans to release the PC version in the first quarter of 2027. Rockstar didn't respond to GamesBeat's request for comment, and neither company has announced it. At Take-Two's most recent shareholder meeting, reported by Game Rant on September 19, CEO Strauss Zelnick said that "the PC platform is becoming more and more important to our company over time." Game Rant also notes that GTA 5 took 19 months to reach PC and Red Dead Redemption 2 just over a year.

What music is in the GTA 6 launch trailer?

"Flower in a Hurricane," a new Justice single featuring Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Rockstar released the 91-second Launch Trailer on October 15, and here it is from Rockstar's channel.

Rockstar's October Newswire posts have leaned on music: six radio stations, including Back Country Radio, which Rockstar says broadcasts "to the Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn, and beyond," and an Original Score by Justice due December 11. Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, 34 original tracks, comes out with the game.

Police SUVs and a helicopter chase a mud-spattered olive pickup, a man standing in its bed, through swamp water, with an airboat behind and an alligator in the foreground
Image: Rockstar Games via IGDB

What we don't know yet

  • Rockstar's own unlock and pre-load times. Unlock times above come from the PlayStation and Xbox store data.
  • An official download size. 210 GB on PS5 comes from a datamine, and we haven't found an Xbox figure.
  • Online play. Rockstar, PlayStation and Xbox all describe GTA 6 as "a single-player experience," and Rockstar hasn't announced an online mode for it.
  • A PC release date. GamesBeat's first-quarter 2027 window is a report, not an announcement.

Questions and answers

Has GTA 6 been delayed again?

No. Rockstar's latest posts, including the October 15 Launch Trailer, still say November 19, 2026.

What time does GTA 6 come out?

Rockstar hasn't said. The US PlayStation Store lists midnight Eastern on November 19 (9 p.m. Pacific on November 18); other regional PlayStation Stores list local midnight.

When can I pre-load GTA 6?

From November 12, 2026, if you pre-ordered a digital copy. Boxed copies have no disc, only a download code, and also go on sale November 12 so they can pre-load.

How much is GTA 6?

$79.99 for the Standard Edition and $99.99 for the Ultimate Edition in the US. On Xbox, Standard owners can add the Ultimate upgrade for $20.

Is GTA 6 coming to PC?

Not at launch. GamesBeat reported a first-quarter 2027 PC release, citing four industry sources, but neither Rockstar nor Take-Two has announced one.

Sources

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