Rockstar officially confirms GTA 6 regional release times – and it’s not what we thought

Rockstar Games has officially confirmed the regional release times for Grand Theft Auto 6, and it largely confirms our previous reports – with one major caveat.

This earlier report was based on regional PlayStation Store data not revealed by a GTA fansite. This site suggested we would see a 19-hour gap, with New Zealand getting the match first, while those on the other side of the international date line – for example Mexico and the Central and South American countries – would get the match last.

According to Rockstar’s official announcement, this information is largely accurate, but one key detail differs. In short, it appears that release times are tied to specific time zones rather than countries. Therefore, the release time of GTA 6 in all regions is midnight local time.

We previously expected that once the release time arrived in, say, Eastern US and Canada (EST), the game would be unlocked for all players in mainland America and Canada. Instead, it looks like those further west will have to wait until their own local midnight, thus getting the game later than expected. Our team member Oliver, for example, is based in Vancouver on the west coast, so will receive the game three hours later than if it had been unlocked across the entire Canadian continent at the same time.

As a reminder, digital pre-loads for the game have already begun – November 10th at midnight local time on PlayStation and midnight GMT on Xbox – so be sure to hit those downloads if you want to play GTA 6 when it releases. I imagine the PlayStation and Xbox networks could bog down significantly on release day, so it makes perfect sense to get a head start. You may also need to free up some space, as the game requires up to 212 GB of storage.

Once preloaded, the GTA 6 entry on PlayStation 5 displays a countdown to the release date, confirming the time of midnight (embedded below).

If you want to access GTA 6 early, it’s possible to “move” to the New Zealand region that gets the game first. The process is simpler on Xbox, requiring only a change in settings and a restart of the console, while on PlayStation you will need to purchase the game on a new New Zealand account, with no option to transfer the game to your main account later.

For what it’s worth, I bought the game on my standard UK account – if I’ve waited this long, I can wait a few more hours.

What are your plans for GTA 6 launch? Do you take time off work or school to play? Or are you not in a hurry? Let me know in the comments below.