News
Rockstar confirms GTA 6 unlocks at midnight local time
Rockstar says GTA 6 unlocks at midnight local time in all regions on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S on Nov 19, starting in New Zealand. Pre-load date set too.
Published · Confirmed
On November 3, 2026, Rockstar updated its support article on regional release times and posted that pre-loading would begin on November 10.
The unlock rule
Rockstar says Grand Theft Auto VI releases at midnight local time in all regions on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on November 19, 2026. There is no single worldwide moment: New Zealand reaches midnight first, at 11:00 UTC on November 18, which is 3:00 AM Pacific and 6:00 AM Eastern on Wednesday, November 18.
In the U.S.
Rockstar's wording doesn't name U.S. time zones. The U.S. PlayStation Store listing we read on November 15 carries a release timestamp of 12:00 AM Eastern on November 19 (9:00 PM Pacific on November 18). That's store data, not a Rockstar statement, so check the countdown on your own console.
Sources
Checked November 15, 2026 (Pacific time). Official means Rockstar, Take-Two, PlayStation, or Xbox. Press means a named outlet’s reporting. When a later official page disagrees with an earlier one, we follow the later page.
- Official Grand Theft Auto VI regional pre-load and release times on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S — Rockstar Games Customer Support, Updated 2026-11-03
- Official Grand Theft Auto VI official site (trailers, people, places) — Rockstar Games
- Official Pre-load Grand Theft Auto VI on PS5 starting today — PlayStation.Blog, 2026-11-10