How to prepare for GTA 6: 10 things to do before it comes out on Nov. 19

Grand Theft Auto VI comes out on Thursday, Nov. 19, on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Most of the work of getting ready can be done before then, and some of it changes how you'll play from the first minute. Here are 10 things to do first, in the order we'd do them, with who said what.

1. Buy it by Nov. 19 to get the pre-order bonus

If you haven't bought GTA 6 yet, do it by the end of launch day. Rockstar Games says every pre-order and purchase before Nov. 20 gets the Vintage Vice City Pack: a '55 Vapid Stanier with the Shore Court garage near Ocean Beach, outfits and hairstyles for Jason and Lucia, and a palm-tree pattern for your guns. Digital pre-orders also come with a free month of GTA+, though none of the perks Rockstar lists for it are in GTA 6.

In the US, the Standard Edition costs $79.99 and the Ultimate Edition $99.99. Our editions guide has what each includes, and our price guide has both in 63 countries.

2. Clear more than 212 GB

The pre-load needs up to 212 GB, depending on the console, Rockstar says, and any update at launch comes on top, so leave room to spare. Not everyone has thought of it: in a survey of 520 UK adults who plan to play, carried out for Virgin Media O2 on Oct. 30, 28% said they had stocked up on snacks for launch or planned to, and only 21% said the same of clearing console storage.

If you'd rather not delete anything, park games on a USB drive. Sony says PS5 games can be stored on USB extended storage but not played from it, and on Xbox Series X|S, games made for the new consoles have to go back to the internal drive or a Storage Expansion Card before you can play them, Seagate's FAQ says. Our file size guide shows how to make room on each console.

3. Start the pre-load now

If you bought it digitally, you can download it today. Pre-loading opened on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at midnight local time on PS5, and at midnight GMT on Xbox Series X|S, which was 7 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 9, Rockstar says. At a steady 100 Mbps, 212 GB takes about 4 hours 43 minutes, and slower connections take far longer; our story on the pre-load's broadband records has the times at every speed. Virgin Media O2 says Nov. 10 was the busiest day its UK network has ever had.

The boxed version, in stores since Nov. 12, holds a download code rather than a disc (what's in the box), so it's the same download. Our pre-load guide has the steps.

One catch on PlayStation: under its cancellation policy, starting the download ends your right to cancel, so if you might still change your mind, decide first. On Xbox, you can cancel a pre-order online. Our cancellation guide covers every store.

4. Let it download while you sleep

You don't have to sit up with the progress bar. On PS5, go to Settings, System, Power Saving, Features Available in Rest Mode, and turn on Stay Connected to the Internet. PlayStation says that lets the console download pre-ordered games in rest mode, and with automatic downloads on, it updates your games and the system software too.

On Xbox Series X|S, the power settings are under Settings, General, Power options. Microsoft says both of its modes, Sleep and Shutdown (energy saving), install automatic updates for the console, games and apps; Sleep uses more power but starts up faster.

Whichever console you have, install the latest system update before launch night, so midnight isn't spent on another progress bar.

5. Find the minute it unlocks where you live

Rockstar hasn't announced a launch hour. Sony says GTA 6 unlocks at midnight on Nov. 19, country by country, and the PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store listings show the times, with New Zealand first. In US Eastern time:

On Xbox One, which can only stream GTA 6 through Xbox Cloud Gaming, play starts at 1 a.m. Eastern on Nov. 19, Microsoft says. Our countdown shows the time where you are and can send an alert to your phone, or an email, when it unlocks. The release time guide has every region we've checked.

6. Mute spoilers before New Zealand starts playing

New Zealand gets GTA 6 about 18 hours before the US East Coast, and story clips can spread from then on. Rockstar's video rules allow playthroughs, so expect them on YouTube and Twitch from the first day. Mute the obvious words on X, YouTube, Bluesky and Discord before Wednesday morning; our spoilers guide has a list and the steps for each. On The Leonida, pages about the story keep spoilers covered until you choose to see them.

7. Learn what the police know about you

GTA 6's police work from what they've seen. A crime only draws them if someone witnesses it or it sets off an alarm, Rob Nelson, co-studio head at Rockstar North, told IGN, so look around before you act.

Once they're after you, they build a description. Pause An Extended Look at 14:06 and you'll see four red icons under the wanted stars: two heads, a clothes hanger, one head and a car. IGN, which saw the system in a demo with Nelson, says the hanger means the police know your clothes and the silhouette means they have your description, and Nelson pointed out that they knew the pair were a couple and what they were driving. Edge, which watched a 90-minute demo, says the list can also show whether a CCTV camera caught you and what weapon you had.

Each piece can be shaken off. Splitting up, changing clothes or dropping the weapon removes it from the description, Edge reports. A haircut on its own won't do it, Nelson told IGN, because the police still know what you're wearing, but buying and wearing a new outfit removes the heat, he said.

8. Use your trunk as your armory

Every weapon you've bought stays in the back of your personal vehicle, Nelson told IGN, and VICE's summary of the interview says the trunk holds spare outfits too. So your car is your closet as well, which helps with number 7. Rockstar's own video has fun with the trunk: at 18:25 in An Extended Look, a livestreamer rides in an open one while his chat crowns him king of trunk.

9. Learn the map, and the quick way across it

Leonida is roughly twice the size of GTA V's map, Aaron Garbut, co-studio head at Rockstar North, told Game Informer, according to IGN and KitGuru. Rockstar has named six regions: Vice City, the Leonida Keys, Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia and Mount Kalaga. Our map guide goes through each, and our map lists every place Rockstar has named.

To get across it fast, call a ride. Fast travel works by ride-share car: Nelson showed IGN a trip in which you can chat with the other passenger on the way, and Game Informer's cover story describes the same thing. Edge reports working buses and trains as well. On launch day, Rockstar adds a free printable map of Leonida to its website, along with the cover art as a poster (our story on the map).

10. Book the day off

You wouldn't be the only one. Logitech is giving its staff a day off to play games and celebrating it on Nov. 19, and CNET reports that employees can take launch day itself. "It's time to retire the stereotype that gaming is a waste of time," chief executive Hanneke Faber said. In the US, requests to take Nov. 19 off are running 9% to 17% above a typical third Thursday of November, HR software firm BambooHR told Money, and in Virgin Media O2's survey, 78% of UK players said they've changed or plan to change their schedules to find time to play.

Can't get Thursday? In the US, GTA 6 unlocks at 9 p.m. Pacific on Wednesday, and record stores around the country hold listening parties for Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album that day (our story). Our stories on Logitech's Game Day and the time-off requests have more.

Good to know before you start

• It's a single-player game. Rockstar calls GTA 6 a single-player experience and hasn't announced an online mode; our online guide explains.
• It isn't coming to PS4, and Rockstar hasn't announced a PC version. Xbox One owners can stream it (our story has how).
• Tick it off as you go. Our launch-day checklist saves your progress, our launch checklist goes deeper on the console steps, and the launch calendar has every date.