GTA 6 FAQ: Pre-Load Date, Unlock Time, PS5 File Size, Price, PC and Game Pass

Grand Theft Auto VI launches on 19 November 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and digital pre-orders can start downloading a week earlier. Rockstar has confirmed the dates, platforms and prices. It has given a maximum file size, but no unlock time and nothing about a PC version. Here is every common question, with what's official kept apart from what's only reported.

Update, 13 November: Rockstar's own figure is up to 212GB of free space, "depending on your device", on both PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, according to its 3 November Newswire post and its support site. Pre-loading opened on 10 November: at midnight local time on PS5, and at 00:00 GMT worldwide on Xbox Series X|S. Rockstar still hasn't published its own unlock times for 19 November.

Update, 10 November: Pre-loading is open now. PlayStation started it on 10 November and says you need at least 212GB free on PS5, and Xbox says the game is available to pre-install on Series X|S. PlayStation also confirmed a rolling midnight launch by country on 19 November, starting at 12:00am NZDT in New Zealand. On Xbox, streaming through Cloud Gaming, including on Xbox One, starts at 1am ET on 19 November (how it works). Older answers below are kept for reference.

GTA 6 at a glance

• Release date: 19 November 2026 (confirmed by Rockstar)
• Platforms: PS5, with PS5 Pro enhancements, and Xbox Series X|S
• Pre-load: open now on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S (Rockstar's original date was 12 November)
• Price: Standard Edition $79.99 / £69.99 / €79.99, Ultimate Edition $99.99 / £89.99 / €99.99
• File size: up to 212GB depending on your device, on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S (Rockstar)
• PC: not announced
• Game Pass or PS Plus: not announced

When can I pre-load GTA 6?

Now: PS5 pre-loading opened on 10 November, ahead of the original date of 12 November. Rockstar's pre-order announcement, published by parent company Take-Two, says players who pre-order a digital version "will be able to begin pre-loading on November 12, 2026 to ensure they are able to play at launch on November 19, 2026." The PlayStation Store lists a "7-Day Pre-load" with both editions.

Rockstar gave a date for the pre-load, not a time of day. Pre-loading only puts the game on your console so it's ready at unlock; it doesn't let you play early. Both editions get the same seven-day pre-load on the PlayStation Store, and GTA Intel reports that Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick has said no edition gets early access. GamesRadar expects a day-one update on top of the pre-load.

Buying a boxed copy? There is no disc. Take-Two says the physical version contains a download code inside the box and goes on sale from 12 November, precisely so boxed buyers can pre-load too. That also means physical buyers download the whole game like everyone else.

To make sure the download runs while you're away, fan site GTA Intel suggests switching on automatic downloads, plus "Stay Connected to the Internet" in rest mode on PS5, or keeping an Xbox in sleep rather than shutting it down.

What time does GTA 6 unlock?

Rockstar hasn't announced an unlock time. PlayStation Store listings point to midnight in each region's main time zone rather than one worldwide moment, Notebookcheck reports, with about 15 release windows between 11:00 UTC on 18 November and 06:00 UTC on 19 November. Rockstar hasn't confirmed them, and store times can change before launch. Going by those listings, as compiled by Notebookcheck and GTA Intel:

• New Zealand: first, at midnight local time (11:00 UTC on 18 November)
• Central European Time countries: midnight CET, which is 23:00 UTC on 18 November
• UK and Ireland: midnight, 00:00 UTC on 19 November
• US and Canada: midnight Eastern (05:00 UTC on 19 November), which means 9pm on 18 November on the Pacific coast
• Mexico and Central America: last, at 06:00 UTC on 19 November

On PS5 the region of your PlayStation Network account decides, not the console's clock: GTA Intel notes that an account's country is fixed when it's created.

How big is GTA 6 on PS5?

Up to 212GB. Rockstar's support site says GTA 6 "will require up to 212 GB of available space depending on your device", and its 3 November pre-load announcement gives the same figure for the pre-load file. That covers both PS5 and Xbox Series X|S; Rockstar hasn't given a separate number for each console. PlayStation says you need at least 212GB free on PS5.

Before that, the number going around came from PlayStation Game Size, an account on X that tracks store data. On 27 October it posted a 210GB download for the PS5 version, alongside the 12 November pre-load and a midnight release. GamesRadar calls the account "known for reasonably reliably sharing details" on PlayStation games, but stresses the figure is unconfirmed and that download and install sizes can differ. At the time there was no reported Xbox figure, Destructoid noted.

For scale, GamesRadar puts GTA 5 at 105GB and Red Dead Redemption 2 at 150GB on PC, and both closer to 100 to 110GB on PS5. At up to 212GB, GTA 6 is roughly double either game.

Check your free space now. According to GTA Intel, a launch PS5 has 667GB of usable storage and the 512GB Xbox Series S just 364GB, so a 212GB game would take almost a third of the first and more than half of the second. If you're thinking of adding an SSD, it's worth knowing why SSD prices are rising right now.

Treat bigger viral numbers with suspicion: GTA Intel traced a 676.7GB "store screenshot" to a parody account, and warns that a supposed "GTA 6 ISO" download doing the rounds is malware. There is no early build to download.

Which platforms is GTA 6 on?

PS5 and Xbox Series X|S only, Series S included. The PlayStation Store lists the game as PS5 Pro Enhanced, and its FAQ says GTA 6 will not be playable on PS4. Rockstar's own page carries a "Plays best on PlayStation 5" badge. There is no Xbox One version: Take-Two's announcement lists only Xbox Series X|S.

Take-Two describes GTA 6 as "a single-player experience". The PlayStation Store lists it as one player with offline play enabled. Rockstar has said very little about the next GTA Online so far, KitGuru notes.

Is GTA 6 on PC?

Not at launch, and not announced. Rockstar's official page lists only PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

In October, GamesBeat reported that Rockstar is targeting the first quarter of 2027 for the PC version, citing four anonymous industry sources, as covered by Insider Gaming and KitGuru. Rockstar didn't respond to GamesBeat's request for comment and hasn't confirmed it. That would be much faster than usual: GamesRadar points out that GTA 5 took 19 months to reach PC and Red Dead Redemption 2 took 13.

How much does GTA 6 cost?

• Standard Edition: $79.99 in the US (Take-Two), £69.99 on the UK PlayStation Store, €79.99 on the French and Spanish PlayStation Stores
• Ultimate Edition: $99.99, £89.99 and €99.99

The Ultimate Edition adds an exclusive set of premium vehicles, weapons and clothing tied to Jason and Lucia's story, according to Take-Two. The PlayStation Store also sells an Ultimate Edition Upgrade if you buy the standard game first.

Every copy bought before 20 November includes the Vintage Vice City Pack, a set of retro-themed items. Digital pre-orders also come with a free month of GTA+, Rockstar's own subscription. The PlayStation Store says you have until 31 March 2027 to claim it and that it renews automatically as a paid subscription, so cancel it if you don't want to keep paying.

Is GTA 6 on Game Pass or PS Plus?

Not as things stand. Rockstar hasn't announced GTA 6 for Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus; it's a full-price purchase on the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Rockstar Games Store and at retailers. GTA Intel recalls that Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick said in 2022 that putting new releases into a subscription on day one doesn't make economic sense for the company, and that GTA 5 only rotated in and out of Game Pass years after its launch.

Don't confuse it with GTA+: that's Rockstar's own subscription, and the free month that comes with a digital pre-order gives you GTA Online perks and the GTA+ Games Library (GTA 5 and other classic Rockstar titles, per Take-Two), not GTA 6 itself.

What we don't know yet

• The exact install size on each console (Rockstar gives only an upper limit of 212GB)
• Official unlock times from Rockstar
• Anything about a PC version or the next GTA Online

We'll update this guide if Rockstar publishes its own unlock times before 19 November.