Is the GTA 6 review embargo Nov. 18? Rockstar hasn't said, and here's where the date comes from

Rockstar Games hasn't announced when reviews of Grand Theft Auto VI will be published, or whether critics have the game yet. That hasn't stopped a date from spreading: Nov. 18, the day before GTA 6 comes out on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

The date comes from a forum post, and the talk of review copies comes from leakers and a news report that didn't name its date. Here is what's being claimed, what's actually confirmed, and why a Nov. 18 date sounds plausible without being official.

What's being claimed

None of this comes from Rockstar or Take-Two, so treat all of it as unconfirmed.

• Reviews on Nov. 18. A forum user called BlackBate posted on Oct. 23 that the review embargo ends Nov. 18, with scores showing up between about 6 and 7 a.m. Eastern, according to eGamers.io. The same post said some sites or YouTube channels might be held until 12:01 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 19, when the game unlocks in the US, and that digital review codes hadn't gone out yet.
• Copies before November. Insider Gaming reported in mid-October that reviews will come out before launch and that it knew of a preliminary embargo, without giving the date, according to Gameranx. Asked on the ResetEra forum whether review copies were out, the leaker NateTheHate replied, "Not yet but they will before end of the month."

We haven't been able to check the forum posts ourselves, and none of the claims names a source at Rockstar.

What's confirmed

Very little, so far. GTA 6 comes out Thursday, Nov. 19, and Rockstar repeated that date on Oct. 15 in its post for the Launch Trailer, its newest Newswire post. Neither Rockstar nor Take-Two has said anything about reviews, an embargo or early copies.

One rule points toward copies going out early, though it isn't about GTA 6 in particular. The Game Awards, which GTA 6 is eligible for by a day, lets publishers provide "advance or pre-release access to games for critical evaluation" so its jury can vote in time. Rockstar hasn't said whether it will.

Why Nov. 18 sounds right

Rockstar's last two new games were both reviewed the day before launch. Major outlets published their reviews of Grand Theft Auto V on Sept. 16, 2013, a day before it came out, and of Red Dead Redemption 2 on Oct. 25, 2018, also a day early. Both times, Rockstar posted a roundup of the reviews on its Newswire the same day.

A Nov. 18 embargo would fit that pattern, which may be why the date is easy to believe. Two launches still don't make a rule, and Rockstar hasn't said how it will handle GTA 6.

If reviews do come early

Early copies can mean story details online before you've played. Our pages keep story spoilers blurred until you choose to show them, and you can change that in Your Leonida.

When reviews arrive, they'll show up on Metacritic and OpenCritic, and our guide to when GTA 6 reviews come out will have the date as soon as Rockstar or the outlets confirm it. The release time guide shows when the game unlocks where you live.