GTA VI pre-loading opens on Tuesday 10 November, two days earlier than the 12 November date Rockstar gave in June, and the download is “up to 212 GB depending on your device”. Rockstar set out the timings in a Newswire post on 3 November, alongside one new screenshot and a free poster and map for launch day.
PS5 pre-loads from midnight local time, Xbox from 12 a.m. GMT
On PlayStation 5, “digital pre-loading will begin on Tuesday, November 10 at midnight local time in your respective time zone”, so every region starts at its own midnight. On Xbox Series X|S, “pre-loading begins globally on Tuesday, November 10 at 12 a.m. GMT”, one moment worldwide: 4 p.m. PT and 7 p.m. ET on Monday 9 November, 3 a.m. EAT on the 10th. Xbox players in the Americas therefore start on the evening of the 9th, and Xbox players east of Greenwich start after their PS5 neighbours.
Code-in-box versions for both consoles “should be available from retailers beginning November 12”, the original pre-load date. The box holds a download code rather than a disc, so a physical buyer downloads the same file once the code is redeemed.
The file is up to 212 GB, two more than the leaked figure
Rockstar’s wording is “up to 212 GB depending on your device”, which leaves the PS5 and Xbox sizes to differ and sets 212 GB as the ceiling. The figure lands close to the 210 GB that circulated from one X account on 27 October, which we reported and the Rumour Ledger held at Possible; the Ledger re-scores it against Rockstar’s figure on Friday.
A printable cover poster and Leonida map arrive on 19 November, free
On launch day Rockstar will add “an official printable Grand Theft Auto VI cover art poster and map of Leonida as a free digital download to the official site”. A double-sided physical version follows “shortly after launch from the Rockstar Store”, at $0.99 on its own or free with any Rockstar Store purchase.
The post carries one new screenshot: Vice City by day, with boats on the water, a beach resort and a highway, in Rockstar’s own description. The launch date stays 19 November, with no unlock time published yet; our countdown runs to midnight Eastern.
What to do before 10 November
Clear at least 212 GB, and pre-order digitally if you want the download running on the 10th rather than the 12th. Our GTA VI hub carries the countdown and every confirmed date, and the release calendar has the launch week in full.