What time does GTA 6 come out?
Updated · 3 min read
GTA 6 unlocks at midnight local time on November 19, 2026, on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. That's what Rockstar's support page says, and the PlayStation and Xbox stores list a matching rollout, one region at a time, starting with New Zealand. In the US, the stores unlock it at 12:00 am Eastern on November 19, which is 9:00 pm Pacific on Wednesday, November 18. Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA VI) is digital only on launch day: even the boxed copy holds a download code.
Updated Nov 12, 2026: first version, with Rockstar's "midnight local" wording and the store-listed times.
What time does GTA 6 unlock in the US?
The PlayStation Store and Xbox Store list the US (and Canada) at 05:00 UTC on November 19, which is midnight Eastern. Converted to every US time zone:
| Time zone |
Unlock time |
| Eastern (New York, Miami) |
12:00 am, Thursday Nov 19 |
| Central (Chicago, Dallas) |
11:00 pm, Wednesday Nov 18 |
| Mountain (Denver, Phoenix) |
10:00 pm, Wednesday Nov 18 |
| Pacific (Los Angeles, Seattle) |
9:00 pm, Wednesday Nov 18 |
| Alaska |
8:00 pm, Wednesday Nov 18 |
| Hawaii |
7:00 pm, Wednesday Nov 18 |
There's one open question. Rockstar's wording, "midnight local time … in all regions", could also be read as midnight in each US time zone, which would make the West Coast wait three more hours. The store listings key the whole country to Eastern time, and they were still showing 05:00 UTC on November 11. Rockstar hasn't clarified, so plan for the earlier time and check your store page on launch eve.
What time does GTA 6 come out around the world?
Each region unlocks at midnight in its main time zone, so the launch rolls west across the globe over about 19 hours. These are the store-listed times; Rockstar hasn't published its own table.
| Region |
Local time (Nov 19) |
UTC |
| New Zealand |
12:00 am |
11:00, Nov 18 |
| Australia (Sydney, Melbourne) |
12:00 am |
13:00, Nov 18 |
| Japan, South Korea |
12:00 am |
15:00, Nov 18 |
| Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia |
12:00 am |
16:00, Nov 18 |
| India |
12:00 am |
18:30, Nov 18 |
| UAE |
12:00 am |
20:00, Nov 18 |
| Eastern Europe, Greece, Finland, South Africa |
12:00 am |
22:00, Nov 18 |
| Central Europe (Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland) |
12:00 am |
23:00, Nov 18 |
| UK, Ireland, Portugal |
12:00 am |
00:00 |
| Brazil, Argentina, Chile |
12:00 am |
03:00 |
| US, Canada (Eastern) |
12:00 am |
05:00 |
| Mexico |
12:00 am |
06:00 |
Australia has one store time, set to Sydney and Melbourne. By the same clock, it's 11 pm on November 18 in Brisbane and 9 pm in Perth.
Is the unlock time official?
Partly. Official: the date (November 19, 2026) and Rockstar's support FAQ, updated November 3, which says the game releases at midnight local time in all regions on both consoles. From the stores: the exact hour per region. The PlayStation Store and Xbox Store show the same timestamps where both have been checked, but store times can move before launch. Rockstar's launch-day map download and the pre-load were announced on its Newswire; the unlock hour wasn't.
Can I pre-load GTA 6 so it's ready at midnight?
Yes, and you should: it's up to 212 GB. Digital pre-load opened on November 10 (midnight local on PS5, 12 am GMT on Xbox). Boxed copies reach stores on November 12 but still download the game. See GTA 6 file size and pre-load for the details and how much space to free.
What can I do while I wait?
Learn the map. Our interactive GTA 6 map already has the places shown in the trailers and screenshots, from the beaches of Vice City and the Leonida Keys to the swamps of Grassrivers, the docks of Port Gellhorn, the factories of Ambrosia and the trails of Mount Kalaga. From launch day we'll add what players find in the game. New to the setting? Start with where GTA 6 takes place and the state of Leonida.
Sources: Rockstar Support, "Grand Theft Auto VI regional pre-load and release times" (updated Nov 3, 2026), as quoted by Forbes (Nov 12, 2026); the PlayStation Store and Xbox Store regional timestamps, as compiled by GamerFuzion (checked Nov 11, 2026) and GameSpot; Rockstar Newswire (Nov 3, 2026) on pre-load and the 212 GB size.
