GTA 6 release date and time: midnight local time on November 19, 2026

GTA 6 comes out at midnight local time on Thursday, November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Rockstar Games' support site says the game "will release midnight local time on November 19, 2026, in all regions" on both consoles, and Sony's own support page for the game repeats it for PS5. That means 12 a.m. where you live: East Coast players start at 12 a.m. ET, and West Coast players start three hours later, at 12 a.m. PT. The date itself hasn't moved since Rockstar set it a year ago, and pre-loading, the early download for people who pre-ordered, is open as of today, November 10.

What time does GTA 6 come out in the US?

The game unlocks when the clock in your own time zone reaches midnight at the start of Thursday, November 19. It isn't a single worldwide moment, so nobody in the continental US gets in on Wednesday evening. The US has been on standard time since November 1, 2026, so the table uses standard-time abbreviations.

The same rule covers both platforms, which is worth noting because their pre-loads didn't open the same way. Rockstar hasn't published a separate hour for the Ultimate Edition, and neither store lists early access with any edition: everyone starts at the same local midnight.

Is GTA 6 delayed again?

The date stands. Rockstar has named a specific day for Grand Theft Auto VI twice. On May 2, 2025, it said the game was "now set to release on May 26, 2026." On November 6, 2025, it moved that to Thursday, November 19, 2026, saying the extra months would let the studio "finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve."

Since then every official page has pointed at the same day. Pre-orders opened on June 25, 2026. On November 3, Rockstar published its pre-load schedule, and on November 5 it signed off a new batch of screenshots with "See you in Leonida on November 19." Leonida is the game's fictional version of Florida. The official site carries a "Coming November 19, 2026" banner today, and both console stores list the same release date. The full game is now downloading to consoles that pre-ordered it.

GTA 6 pre-load is open now on PS5 and Xbox

Pre-loading puts the whole game on your console ahead of time, locked until release, so launch night is a matter of pressing a button instead of watching a progress bar. Rockstar first planned it for November 12, then moved it up two days in its November 3 schedule.

The two consoles opened differently. On PS5, the download became available at midnight local time on Tuesday, November 10. On Xbox Series X|S it opened for everyone at once at 12 a.m. GMT on November 10, which was 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) on Monday, November 9. Either way, anyone in the US with a digital pre-order can start it now.

Rockstar says the pre-load file needs "up to 212 GB depending on your device," and Sony tells PS5 owners to clear at least that much. That is roughly a fifth of a 1TB console drive. Our guide to GTA 6's file size and storage options covers which drives the game can run from and what they cost.

There are nine days between today and release. Even on a slow connection, that leaves time to finish, as long as the console is allowed to download while you aren't using it.

How to make sure GTA 6 is ready at midnight on PS5

Sony's support page for the game lists the settings to check. In order:

1. Turn on auto-download for the game. From the games home, open Game Library, then Your Collection, and select your GTA 6 pre-order. A timer counting down to release appears. Select it and make sure the checkbox next to the game is ticked.
2. Let the console download in rest mode. Go to Settings, System, Power Saving, Features Available in Rest Mode, and turn on Stay Connected to the Internet. Then leave the PS5 in rest mode, the low-power state, instead of switching it off.
3. Check your space. Settings, then Storage, shows what's free. Delete or move games if you're short.
4. Update the system software. Under Settings, System, System Software, System Software Update and Settings, turn on both automatic download and automatic install of update files.
5. Share it, if others play on the same console. Enable Console Sharing and Offline Play under Settings, Users and Accounts, Other, so other accounts on that PS5 can play your copy.

To confirm it worked, go back to the game in your library and select the timer again: it shows whether the pre-load has started and lets you start it by hand. If the game sits in Downloads/Uploads without moving, Sony's advice is to pause and resume it. If that fails, cancel and delete the download, then enable auto-download again from the library.

The steps are the same on a PS5 Pro. The store listing tags the game PS5 Pro Enhanced, and our PS5 vs PS5 Pro comparison explains what that console adds.

How to get GTA 6 ready on Xbox Series X and S

Rockstar's pre-load guide gives Xbox owners two conditions: automatic updates must be enabled, and the console has to be either on or in Sleep mode, the standby state that keeps downloads running. A console that is fully shut down won't fetch the game by itself.

The space requirement is the same as on PS5, and it matters most on the 512GB Series S, where the game needs a large share of the built-in drive.

GTA 6 price and editions

Both stores list the same two editions at the same US prices.

Rockstar describes the Ultimate Edition as "an exclusive collection of items threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia's story," the two lead characters. Its pieces include a '95 Grotti Cheetah sports car, a pair of revolvers, vehicles kept at Jason's safehouse and a set of shops and services.

The pre-order bonus ends when the game launches

Every pre-order and every purchase made before November 20, 2026, comes with the Vintage Vice City Pack, a set of items that, in Rockstar's words, "flash back to when the neon burned brightest." The Xbox store puts the cutoff to the second: 11:59:59 p.m. on November 19. In practice, buying the game on launch day still gets you the pack, and buying it on Friday doesn't.

Digital pre-orders also include one month of GTA+, Rockstar's paid membership. Read the terms before you claim it. On PlayStation the month can be claimed any time before March 31 and renews automatically afterward. On Xbox it must be redeemed within 180 days of the pre-order and isn't available to child accounts restricted from mature content.

Can you pre-load GTA 6 from a physical copy?

Yes. The boxed version is what Sony calls Physical (Code-In-Box): the case holds a download code and no disc, and it exists, as Sony's page puts it, "to support pre-load." Rockstar says these boxes "should be available from retailers beginning November 12."

On PS5, sign in, select your avatar at the top of the screen and choose Redeem Code. Once the code is redeemed the game behaves like any digital pre-order: it downloads now and unlocks at midnight on November 19. If the code is missing or unreadable, Sony sends you back to the retailer. The boxed version is the Standard Edition only, and upgrading it to the Ultimate Edition happens through the console's store.

Is GTA 6 coming to PC, and when is GTA Online?

Rockstar has announced the game for two platforms, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and for nothing else. There is no PC version on its site or on either store, and the company hasn't given one a date or a window.

The online side is just as quiet. Rockstar's own description from June reads: "Grand Theft Auto VI is a single player experience." Both stores list it as a one-player game, and no official page mentions an online mode, a date for one or what it would cost. What exists today is GTA Online inside Grand Theft Auto V, which Rockstar still updates with weekly events. Anything more specific about a successor comes from outside the company.

If you were hoping to play away from the TV, streaming from your own console is the route that exists now. We walk through it in Can you play GTA 6 on PS Portal?

What Rockstar has planned for launch day

Two small extras arrive with the game. On November 19, Rockstar will add a printable poster of the cover art and a map of Leonida to the official site as a free download. A double-sided printed version follows "shortly after launch" from the Rockstar Store, at $0.99 on its own or free with any purchase there.

Rockstar hasn't said whether a day-one update will be waiting at midnight, or how large one would be. Keeping the console in rest mode or Sleep mode through Wednesday night covers that case too, since those are the states in which the consoles download by themselves.

So the checklist is short. Pre-order if you want the bonus pack, start the download today, leave the console in its standby mode, and be on the couch at 12 a.m. your time on November 19.