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GTA 6 pre-load: when it starts and how much space you need

By GTA 6 Legit · Last checked Nov 6, 2026

Pre-load opens on November 10. On PS5 it starts at midnight in your own time zone. On Xbox Series X|S it starts at the same moment everywhere: midnight GMT, which is 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT on November 9. You need up to 212 GB free. The game unlocks at midnight local time on November 19 on both consoles.

GTA 6 pre-load at a glance: PS5 pre-load November 10 at 12 AM local time; Xbox pre-load November 9 at 7 PM ET; clear up to 212 GB; the game unlocks November 19 at 12 AM local time.
Xbox pre-load start time where you are
Where you areXbox Series X|S starts
New York (ET)Nov 9, 7:00 PM
Los Angeles (PT)Nov 9, 4:00 PM
Mexico CityNov 9, 6:00 PM
São PauloNov 9, 9:00 PM
LondonNov 10, 12:00 AM
Paris / BerlinNov 10, 1:00 AM
IndiaNov 10, 5:30 AM
SydneyNov 10, 11:00 AM

PS5 is simpler: it starts at 12:00 AM on November 10 in your own time zone, wherever you are, so New Zealand gets it first. Xbox starts worldwide at the same moment.

Set this up so it downloads by itself

  • PS5: turn on auto-downloads, then leave the console on or in Rest Mode.
  • Xbox: turn on automatic updates, then leave the console on or in Sleep mode.
  • Pre-load is for digital pre-orders. If you bought the boxed version, it's a download code, and boxed copies reach stores from November 12. We haven't seen Rockstar say whether a boxed code can pre-load early.

Making room for 212 GB

Bar chart: GTA 6's 212 GB takes 58 percent of an Xbox Series S's 364 GB of usable space and 32 percent of an original PS5's 667 GB.

Rockstar says the pre-load needs up to 212 GB depending on your console, and the PlayStation Store page tells PS5 owners to clear a minimum of 212 GB. Either way, that's more than GTA 5 (87 GB on PS5) and Red Dead 2 put together. Rockstar hasn't said how big the day-one patch is, so leave some extra room on top.

The tight one is the Xbox Series S: it has about 364 GB you can actually use, so GTA 6 takes more than half of it. An original PS5 has a bit over 660 GB usable.

  • PS5: PS5 games can't run from a USB drive. It has to go on the internal drive or an M.2 SSD you've fitted.
  • Xbox Series X|S: same idea. Series games run from the internal drive or an official expansion card, not a USB drive.

Launch night

Once pre-load finishes, the game unlocks at midnight local time on November 19 on both PS5 and Xbox. There's no GTA Online at launch: the PlayStation Store lists GTA 6 as a single-player experience. See that fact check.

Watch

Our file size video was made before Rockstar moved pre-load from November 12 to November 10.

Related

Sources