GTA 6 pre-loading starts on November 10 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, nine days before the game launches on November 19, Rockstar Games confirmed on its official Newswire. The download needs up to 212 GB of free space. PS5 pre-loads open at midnight local time in each region, and Xbox preloads open at the same moment worldwide, 12:00 AM GMT on November 10.
212 GB is a huge download. If your console is nearly full, or your internet is slow, sort it out this week rather than on launch night.
When does GTA 6 preload start?
GTA 6 pre-load starts on November 10, but the two consoles handle it differently. On PS5, the pre-load unlocks at midnight in your own time zone, so players in New Zealand go first and players in the Americas go last. On Xbox Series X|S, the pre-load unlocks for everyone at the same moment, 12:00 AM GMT on November 10. For players in the Americas, that’s the evening of November 9.
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| City | PS5 pre-load | Xbox pre-load |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | Tue, Nov 10, 12:00 AM | Mon, Nov 9, 4:00 PM PST |
| Mexico City | Tue, Nov 10, 12:00 AM | Mon, Nov 9, 6:00 PM CST |
| New York | Tue, Nov 10, 12:00 AM | Mon, Nov 9, 7:00 PM EST |
| São Paulo | Tue, Nov 10, 12:00 AM | Mon, Nov 9, 9:00 PM BRT |
| London | Tue, Nov 10, 12:00 AM | Tue, Nov 10, 12:00 AM GMT |
| Paris / Berlin | Tue, Nov 10, 12:00 AM | Tue, Nov 10, 1:00 AM CET |
| Johannesburg | Tue, Nov 10, 12:00 AM | Tue, Nov 10, 2:00 AM SAST |
| Dubai | Tue, Nov 10, 12:00 AM | Tue, Nov 10, 4:00 AM GST |
| New Delhi | Tue, Nov 10, 12:00 AM | Tue, Nov 10, 5:30 AM IST |
| Jakarta / Bangkok | Tue, Nov 10, 12:00 AM | Tue, Nov 10, 7:00 AM |
| Singapore / Manila | Tue, Nov 10, 12:00 AM | Tue, Nov 10, 8:00 AM |
| Tokyo / Seoul | Tue, Nov 10, 12:00 AM | Tue, Nov 10, 9:00 AM |
| Sydney | Tue, Nov 10, 12:00 AM | Tue, Nov 10, 11:00 AM AEDT |
| Auckland | Tue, Nov 10, 12:00 AM | Tue, Nov 10, 1:00 PM NZDT |
Xbox players in North and South America get an evening head start, while Xbox players in Asia and Oceania wait until the next morning. Code-in-box physical copies arrive on November 12, and the game itself launches on Thursday, November 19. Pre-loading only lets you download the game, and you can’t play until launch day.
How big is the GTA 6 file size?
GTA 6 needs up to 212 GB, depending on your console, which puts it among the biggest downloads on current consoles. Rockstar hasn’t published a separate figure for each console, so plan for the full 212 GB.
We worked out how much of each console’s usable storage that takes. Usable storage is what’s left after the system software, using the figures Sony and Microsoft quote.
| Console | Usable storage (approx.) | Share used by GTA 6 | Space left after GTA 6 |
|---|---|---|---|
| PS5 (original, 825 GB) | 667 GB | 32% | 455 GB |
| PS5 Slim (1 TB) | 848 GB | 25% | 636 GB |
| Xbox Series X (1 TB) | 802 GB | 26% | 590 GB |
| Xbox Series S (512 GB) | 364 GB | 58% | 152 GB |
On a Series S, GTA 6 alone takes more than half the console. Two or three other big games won’t fit alongside it, so most Series S owners will need to delete something before November 10.
How long will the GTA 6 download take?
Download time depends on your internet speed. By our calculation, 212 GB takes the following times at common broadband speeds. These are best-case figures, at full speed with nothing else using the connection.
| Internet speed | Download time |
|---|---|
| 50 Mbps | About 9.4 hours |
| 100 Mbps | About 4.7 hours |
| 200 Mbps | About 2.4 hours |
| 300 Mbps | About 1.6 hours |
Real speeds are usually slower, especially when millions of people around the world start the same download at once. On a slower connection, start the pre-load as soon as it opens and leave the console downloading overnight. That still leaves more than a week of buffer before launch.
What if you buy a physical copy of GTA 6?
Rockstar is selling code-in-box physical editions from November 12. The box contains a download code, not a full game disc, so you still need to download the whole game. Physical buyers should clear the same 212 GB.
How to get ready for the GTA 6 pre-load
- Free up at least 212 GB now. Check your console’s storage settings and delete or move older games.
- Pre-order the digital version to be eligible for the pre-load on November 10.
- Use a wired connection if you can. A cable is usually faster and steadier than Wi-Fi for a download this big.
- Turn on rest mode downloads. On PS5, enable internet access in rest mode. On Xbox, keep downloads on in sleep mode. Then the pre-load can run overnight.
