Rockstar has confirmed that preload for “GTA 6” will begin on November 12, a week before the November 19 release. Online, players are already sharing a way to start early by changing their account region, but it carries risks.
According to the game’s page in the Rockstar Games Store, “Grand Theft Auto VI” will go on sale on November 19, and in both the Standard and Ultimate editions, preload starts on November 12. The physical version does not include a disc, only a code to download the game, which is meant to enable preload from November 12. The game is announced for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and the publisher has not announced a PC version. The base edition costs $79.99 in the Rockstar store.
The release has already been postponed twice. We wrote about the most recent change in our article about the GTA 6 delay to November.
Different unlock times
Preload lets you download the game in advance, but it does not allow you to play before the official unlock. The game is set to unlock at different times depending on the time zone. As GRYOnline.pl reports, access in New Zealand will open as much as 18 hours before the US, and in Poland 12 hours before the US. Western outlets, including Dot Esports and Cultured Vultures, write that downloads and launch are expected at midnight local time. At the same time, some outlets (such as GamingBible) note that Rockstar has not published an exact table of hours for each region. The exact unlock time in Poland will be shown by the countdown in the console store.
The New Zealand method
Some players are irritated by the prospect of spoilers before the game unlocks in their time zone. A set of instructions is therefore circulating on X. User SynthPotato described it in a post from Sunday, November 1, as a way to play about 18 hours early on PS5. You need to create a new PSN account with the New Zealand region, enable “Console Sharing and Offline Play,” buy a New Zealand gift card and the game on that account, and after downloading, switch back to your own profile. On Xbox, changing the console region to New Zealand and restarting is said to be enough. These are methods devised by users; Rockstar, Sony, and Microsoft have not confirmed them.
PlayStation’s terms allow Sony to suspend accounts of people who provide false information. Buying in a foreign region may also mean a different price and currency, and if payment or refund problems arise, getting support may be difficult.
What this means
For Polish players who bought the digital version, the key date is November 12: from that day, the game can be downloaded. According to GRYOnline.pl, the files should weigh around 210 GB, but Rockstar has not officially given a size. It is therefore worth checking free space on your console drive in advance. Buyers of the physical version also need to download the game, because the box contains only a code. Orders placed before November 20 include the Vintage Vice City Pack at no extra cost.
Rockstar had not commented on the circulating methods for early access at the time of publication.
