How to play GTA 6 on Xbox One: Xbox Cloud Gaming from 1 a.m. ET on Nov. 19, and what it costs

Xbox One owners can play Grand Theft Auto VI on launch day by streaming it. Microsoft said on Nov. 10 that GTA 6 will be playable through Xbox Cloud Gaming on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S from 1 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, Nov. 19, which is 10 p.m. Pacific on Nov. 18. The stream runs at the Xbox Series S's graphics settings.

You'll need to buy the game, and a way to stream it: a Game Pass plan, or cloud playtime, which Microsoft starts selling without a subscription today, Nov. 11, where it's available. Here's how each Xbox plays GTA 6, what streaming needs and what it costs.

How each Xbox plays GTA 6

Microsoft's post sets out three ways to play:

Series X and Series S owners can stream it too, but they don't need to: the game runs on their console.

What you need on an Xbox One

• The game. GTA 6 has to be bought separately, Microsoft says; streaming doesn't include it. The US Xbox Store sells the Standard Edition for $79.99 and the Ultimate Edition for $99.99.
• Cloud hours. From November, Game Pass plans include a set number of cloud gaming hours each month, Microsoft said in September: 15 with Ultimate, 10 with Premium and 5 with Essential, with more for sale through the Xbox Store once they run out. From Nov. 11, players without Game Pass can buy cloud playtime on its own in supported markets.
• A good connection. Rockstar warns that connection speeds and other technical factors can affect how a streamed game runs, in ways that wouldn't happen on the console itself.

Microsoft's GTA 6 post doesn't give playtime prices. When it opened cloud playtime to Xbox Insiders on Oct. 21, the introductory prices were $3.99 for 10 hours, $7.99 for 25 hours and $11.99 for 50 hours, with the hours kept until they're used. Availability, prices and devices vary by market, Microsoft says.

Why 1 a.m.?

Microsoft didn't say why streaming starts at 1 a.m. Eastern, an hour after the US store listings unlock the game at midnight Eastern. Going by those listings, Series X and Series S owners can start at midnight. On PlayStation, Sony says the game unlocks at midnight country by country.

Series S settings and 30 frames per second

The cloud version uses the Xbox Series S's graphics settings. Rockstar says GTA 6 targets 30 frames per second on the current consoles, but it hasn't said how the Series S version differs from the Series X. Our story on Rockstar's post has what it said about each console.

More Rockstar games in the cloud

Microsoft says it will also add more Rockstar games to Xbox Cloud Gaming in the coming months, including Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Not on PC

Rockstar and Microsoft name only consoles for GTA 6's cloud play. Xbox's Matthew Ball said on Oct. 6 that the game wouldn't stream exclusively or to PC, and no PC version has been announced. Remote Play is a different thing: it streams from an Xbox you own, and Rockstar says GTA 6 supports it. Our streaming guide and our PC guide have more, and our platforms guide covers every console.

Microsoft also called GTA 6 the most pre-ordered title of all time on its store; our story on the pre-order records has what Sony and Microsoft said.