How to avoid GTA 6 spoilers: when they'll start, which words to mute, and how on X, YouTube, Bluesky and Discord

Grand Theft Auto VI unlocks in New Zealand at 6 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, Nov. 18, according to the store listings, about 18 hours before it unlocks across the US. From that moment, clips and screenshots of the story can turn up anywhere you scroll. If you want to see what happens to Jason and Lucia for yourself, set up your filters before then.

Here's when the risk starts, which words to mute and how to do it on the apps where spoilers travel fastest.

When spoilers can start

Not before the game unlocks. Boxed copies go on sale on Nov. 12, but there's no disc: the box holds a download code, and nobody can play the game until it unlocks in their region. Pre-loading from Nov. 10 downloads the game without letting you play it either.

Then it unlocks country by country, going by the PlayStation and Xbox store listings. Rockstar hasn't announced a launch hour.

Our release time guide has the full list. Reviews could come earlier, but Rockstar hasn't said when they'll be published; our reviews guide has what's known.

Rockstar won't keep the story off the internet for you. Its video policy lets it take down videos of endings and edits of cutscenes, but it allows playthroughs, as our story on its video rules explains. Expect full playthroughs on YouTube and Twitch from the first day.

Which words to mute

Mute the game's names in every spelling people use, plus its two leads:

• GTA 6, GTA VI, GTA6 and GTAVI
• Grand Theft Auto VI
• Jason and Lucia, Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos
• Leonida

Leave out "Jason" and "Lucia" on their own: they'd hide posts from anyone with those names. Muting all of these also hides GTA 6 news, including Rockstar's own posts, so you'll miss announcements until you turn them off. Our push alerts can still tell you when Rockstar posts news about the game.

X

X calls the feature muted words. On the web, go to Settings and privacy, then Privacy and safety, Mute and block, and Muted words. In the app, open the Notifications tab and tap the settings gear, then Muted and Muted words. Add each word or phrase one at a time.

For each one, choose whether to mute it in your home timeline, your notifications or both, and for how long: 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days or forever. Thirty days covers launch and the weeks after. X says muting a word also mutes the hashtag, so muting GTA6 catches #GTA6. Two gaps: X doesn't filter search results, and it still sends alerts from accounts you've turned notifications on for.

YouTube

YouTube has no keyword filter for your home page or recommendations. Instead, use the three-dot menu next to a video: Not interested tells YouTube you don't want that video, and Don't recommend channel stops a whole channel showing up. Use the second on channels that cover GTA 6, at least until you've finished.

YouTube's recommendations follow what you search for and watch, so skip GTA 6 searches in the meantime. If clips keep turning up in Shorts, YouTube also has a Show fewer Shorts option. You can undo all of it later from My Activity on your Google account.

Bluesky

Bluesky's muted words are in its moderation settings. A muted word can target hashtags only, or the whole post, including the text and the images' alt text, and since 2024 a mute can be set to run out after a set time and can apply only to people you don't follow, Bluesky's release notes say.

Discord

On Discord, the spoiler tag is the main protection. Anyone can hide text by putting it between two pairs of vertical bars, ||like this||, or with the /spoiler command, and images can be marked as spoilers too. Spoilers stay covered until you click them. If a server you're in opens a GTA 6 spoiler channel, mute it.

You can mute a single channel with the bell icon, or a whole server by right-clicking its icon and choosing Mute Server. Muting stops notifications and unread markers, but mentions of your name still reach you.

Everywhere else

Reddit, TikTok, Instagram and Threads all have ways to hide topics, under names like muted communities, keyword filters and hidden words, but each covers different parts of the app, so check its settings before Nov. 18. The surest fixes are simple: leave or mute GTA 6 communities and group chats until you've finished, and turn off notifications from gaming sites and creators.

On The Leonida

We keep spoilers out of our headlines, descriptions and pictures, which are what show up in search results and on social media. Pages about the story keep its details covered until you choose to see them, with a button to show that page or all spoilers. You can change the setting any time in Your Leonida.