GTA 6 pre-load is live: when it opens where you are on PS5 and Xbox, and the 209.8 GB download
GTA 6's PS5 pre-load opened in New Zealand at midnight and moves west with the clock. On Xbox it opens everywhere at once, at 7 p.m. Eastern tonight. The start time where you are, and the size.
Grand Theft Auto VI's pre-load is live. On PS5, it opened at midnight local time in New Zealand, 6 a.m. Eastern on Monday, Nov. 9, and it moves west with the clock as Tuesday, Nov. 10 begins in each time zone, the way Rockstar Games and Sony said it would. PlayStation LifeStyle and IGN reported it live on the PlayStation Store on Monday morning.
On Xbox Series X|S, the pre-load opens everywhere at the same moment: midnight GMT on Nov. 10, which is 7 p.m. Eastern tonight. Here's when it starts where you are, how big the download is and what it does and doesn't let you do.
When GTA 6 pre-load opens where you are
| Where | PS5 (midnight local time) | Xbox (local time) |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | Open now (opened 6 a.m. ET Monday) | 1 p.m. Tuesday |
| Australia (Sydney and Melbourne) | Open now (opened 8 a.m. ET Monday) | 11 a.m. Tuesday |
| Japan | Midnight, 10 a.m. ET Monday | 9 a.m. Tuesday |
| India | Midnight, 1:30 p.m. ET Monday | 5:30 a.m. Tuesday |
| Germany, France, Spain, Italy | Midnight, 6 p.m. ET Monday | 1 a.m. Tuesday |
| UK and Ireland | Midnight, 7 p.m. ET Monday | Midnight, at the same moment |
| Brazil (Brasília time) | Midnight, 10 p.m. ET Monday | 9 p.m. Monday |
| US Eastern | Midnight, as Tuesday begins | 7 p.m. Monday |
| US Central | Midnight (1 a.m. ET Tuesday) | 6 p.m. Monday |
| US Mountain | Midnight (2 a.m. ET Tuesday) | 5 p.m. Monday |
| US Pacific | Midnight (3 a.m. ET Tuesday) | 4 p.m. Monday |
So in the US, Xbox owners can start five hours or more before PS5 owners. In the UK, both start at midnight. In central Europe, the PS5 goes first by an hour.
How big the download is
Rockstar says the pre-load needs up to 212 GB, depending on the console, and the PlayStation Blog asks PS5 owners to clear at least 212 GB. As the first pre-loads started in New Zealand, a PS5 showed the download as 209.8 GB, GTA BOOM reported from its own writer's console. That's in line with the 210 GB that PlayStation Game Size, an X account that tracks download sizes, reported in October. No Xbox size has been reported yet.
Leave some room above that for the install and for any update at launch. Our file size guide shows how to free space on PS5 and Xbox, and our Spectrum story has a table of how long a download that size takes at different speeds.
How to start it
Pre-loading is for anyone who pre-ordered the digital game. If you pre-ordered on the PlayStation Store, go to the game's page on your PS5 or in the PlayStation App once the pre-load opens where you are, and start the download. On Xbox, the pre-load opens at 7 p.m. Eastern for digital pre-orders from the Microsoft Store.
Boxed copies don't hold a disc, only a download code, and Rockstar says they reach retailers from Nov. 12. Once you have one, redeem the code and the same download starts. Our story on the boxed copies covers what's in the box.
What pre-loading doesn't do
It doesn't let anyone play early. GTA 6 unlocks on Nov. 19, and the store listings still have New Zealand going first, at 6 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday, Nov. 18, and the whole US at midnight Eastern on Nov. 19. Our release time guide has every region, and our countdown shows the time where you are.
Some players in New Zealand are already combing through the downloaded files for hints, IGN reported. The files are encrypted, Rockstar hasn't confirmed anything found in them, and we don't report what people say they've dug out of game files. Our pre-load guide has everything else to sort out before launch day.
Questions readers ask
- Is GTA 6 pre-load live?
- Yes, on PS5 in places where it's already Nov. 10. It opened at midnight local time in New Zealand, which was 6 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 9, and moves west with the clock. On Xbox it opens everywhere at once, at midnight GMT, which is 7 p.m. Eastern on Monday, Nov. 9.
- What time does GTA 6 pre-load start in the US?
- On Xbox Series X|S, at 7 p.m. Eastern, 6 p.m. Central, 5 p.m. Mountain and 4 p.m. Pacific on Monday, Nov. 9. On PS5, at midnight in your own time zone as Tuesday, Nov. 10 begins.
- How big is the GTA 6 pre-load?
- Rockstar says up to 212 GB, depending on the console, and Sony asks PS5 owners to clear at least 212 GB. On a PS5 in New Zealand the download showed 209.8 GB, GTA BOOM reported.
- Can you play GTA 6 after pre-loading?
- No. Pre-loading only downloads the game. It unlocks on Nov. 19, starting in New Zealand at 6 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 18 and reaching the US at midnight Eastern on Nov. 19.
What did you think?
Free newsletter
Get an email when it unlocks
One email when GTA 6 unlocks where you live, with what to do first. Nothing else.
