On this page
46 full days until GTA 6 comes out on Thursday, November 19, 2026, which is fewer than eight weeks. Pre-load opens a week before that, on November 12. The timers add the hours and minutes to your own unlock.
- Mon
Xbox Support says you can cancel a Microsoft Store pre-order in Order history up to 10 days before launch. Card pre-orders are charged around then, and after that you have to request a refund instead.
- TueSafest last day to cancel a PS5 pre-orderofficial rule
Starting the download, and a pre-load counts, ends your right to cancel a PlayStation Store pre-order. A US pre-load may begin at 9:00 PM PT on November 11 (our reading of the store clock), so with Auto-Download on, cancel by November 10 or turn Auto-Download off.
- Thu
Pre-load starts at local midnight on PS5 and Xbox. The boxed Standard Edition, a download code with no disc, ships from the same day.
- Wed to ThuGTA 6 unlocks, region by regionofficial
PS5 unlocks at midnight in each store region's main time zone. New Zealand goes first (11:00 UTC on November 18), then Australia (13:00 UTC), the UK (00:00 GMT on November 19) and the US and Canada (midnight ET, which is 9:00 PM PT on November 18). Xbox has not listed a time.
- Thu
GTA 6 is out on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. GTA VI: The Album and the Limited Edition DualSense release the same day, and Rockstar starts shipping its $399.99 Collector's Box (the game is sold separately).About the Collector's Box
- ThuLast day for the pre-order bonusofficial
The Vintage Vice City Pack comes with every pre-order and purchase made before November 20, so launch day is the last day to get it.
Other key dates
The dated launch events, from pre-load to launch day, are in the Coming up list above. This table holds the rest: dates that depend on your store or your purchase, and milestones with no date yet.
| Date | What happens | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Now | Pre-orders open on PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Rockstar Store and retailers. See where to pre-order. | official |
| Any day | Rockstar announces the game has gone gold | not announced |
| Before launch | A launch trailer. Red Dead Redemption 2's came eight days before release. | not announced |
| Usually early November | Take-Two's next quarterly results, the last scheduled check-in before launch (date not announced) | not announced |
| About November 9 | Xbox: last day to cancel a Microsoft Store pre-order from your order history, 10 days before launch per Xbox Support. Card pre-orders are charged around then. | official |
| Before your pre-load starts | Last chance to cancel a PlayStation digital pre-order for a refund. Starting the download ends eligibility, so with Auto-Download on, cancel by November 10 to be safe. | official |
| 180 days after purchase | Xbox: last day to redeem the free GTA+ month in the Microsoft Store's Offers & Credits section | official |
| March 31, 2027 | PlayStation: last day to redeem the free GTA+ month from a PlayStation Store pre-order | official |
Store unlock times come from the PlayStation Store listings and can still change. Xbox has not announced its time, though the Microsoft Store data carries the same timestamps. For the full history of how the date got here, see the GTA 6 release date page.
What time does it unlock?
On PS5, midnight in each store region's main time zone, so 12:00 AM Eastern across the whole US; the table for every region is on the GTA 6 release time page.
What to do before the timer hits zero
- Decide on an edition. Standard is $79.99 and Ultimate is $99.99. The $20 Ultimate upgrade can be bought any time, so starting with Standard costs nothing. Read which edition to buy.
- Buy before November 20 for the bonus. Every purchase before then gets the Vintage Vice City Pack. The pre-order guide covers each store.
- Claim the GTA+ month, then turn off renewal. Digital pre-orders on PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store both include one free month, and it renews at $7.99. Claim it safely.
- Clear storage. The install size is not announced. Free 200 GB or more; see how to free up storage.
- Redeem a physical code on arrival. The physical edition is a download code in a box, available to ship and pick up from November 12. Redeem it as soon as you have it to start the download.
- Pre-load on November 12. Turn on automatic downloads and leave the console in rest mode. Steps for both consoles are in how to pre-load.
- Plan launch night. Check your unlock time and read the launch-night checklist.
The boxed copy on Amazon
Amazon sells the boxed Standard Edition, a download code with no disc that includes the Vintage Vice City Pack. Amazon delivers from November 12: Prime members get release-day delivery, and standard delivery can arrive later, so check the date at checkout. You can pre-load once the box arrives and you redeem its code. The PS5 code works only on US and Canadian PlayStation accounts.
PS5GTA VI · PS5Standard Edition: a download code in the box, no disc, for US and Canadian PlayStation accounts. Amazon delivers from November 12, with release-day delivery for Prime members; it unlocks November 19.Pre-order on AmazonXbox Series X|SGTA VI · XboxStandard Edition: a download code in the box, no disc. Amazon delivers from November 12, with release-day delivery for Prime members; it unlocks November 19.Pre-order on AmazonPS5GTA VI DualSenseSony's official Grand Theft Auto VI Limited Edition controller in white, out November 19.Pre-order on AmazonAmazon's Pre-order Price Guarantee: "the price we charge when we ship it to you will be the lowest price offered by Amazon.com between the time you placed your order and the end of the day of the release date." Amazon's help page adds that it "does not apply to lower prices offered through any program that requires a customer to join the program to receive the lower price." Amazon's release date for the GTA VI boxes is November 12.
New members can start a 30-day free trial (Amazon, checked September 28); a trial started before mid-October runs out before November 12, so start it later or keep the membership. Try Prime on AmazonPaid link: Amazon pays GTA6.how a fee if you sign up. As an Amazon Associate, GTA6.how earns from qualifying purchases.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, GTA6.how earns from qualifying purchases. Prices, delivery dates and availability are set by Amazon and can change. How we choose products.
Catch up while you wait
Three years of marketing fit into an afternoon. Watch both trailers on the trailers hub, then read the Extended Look breakdown for the mechanics. The characters hub covers everyone with a name, and the Leonida map walks through all six regions. The GTA 6 timeline lists every milestone with a date.
About these timers. The main timer uses the release time on the PlayStation Store listing for the US and Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, India, the countries on Central European Time and the main time zones of Brazil and Mexico, and midnight on November 19 in your time zone elsewhere. Germany, France and the other stores on Central European Time that we checked, including Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden, all list 23:00 UTC, which is midnight there. Each store region unlocks once for the whole country, so in some zones the unlock is not at local midnight: 11:00 PM on November 18 in Manaus, 10:00 PM in Tijuana and 1:00 AM on November 19 in Cancun. If you live in one of those zones, the release time page shows your exact unlock. The pre-load timer counts to midnight on November 12. Xbox has not announced an unlock time.
Frequently asked questions
How many days until GTA 6?
46 full days as of October 3, 2026. GTA 6 releases on Thursday, November 19, 2026, and pre-load opens a week earlier, on November 12. The timer at the top of this page counts live to the PS5 unlock for your region, going by the PlayStation Store listing where we have checked one.
What time does GTA 6 unlock?
On PS5, midnight in each store region's main time zone: 12:00 AM Eastern across the US (9:00 PM Pacific on November 18) and 12:00 AM GMT in the UK. Xbox has not announced a time, though the Microsoft Store data carries the same timestamps. Every region is on the GTA 6 release time page.
When does GTA 6 pre-load start?
At local midnight on November 12, 2026, one week before launch, on both consoles, per Rockstar Support. Physical copies are a download code in a box, available to ship and pick up from the same day. See how to pre-load GTA 6.
Is the GTA 6 release date final?
As final as game dates get. Rockstar set November 19, 2026 on November 6, 2025, and Take-Two repeated it in its February 3, May 21 and August 7, 2026 earnings releases and at its September 17 shareholder meeting. No credible outlet has reported a third delay.
Can I add the GTA 6 countdown to my phone?
Bookmark this page or add it to your home screen from your browser's share menu. The timers run in your browser, so they keep counting once the page has loaded.
What changed on this page
- The pre-load timer now shows the real number of days as soon as the page loads, instead of zeros before its script runs. The key dates table keeps only the dates the Coming up list does not already show, and a box near the checklist shows where Amazon sells the boxed copy and when it delivers.
- Added a dated Coming up list that drops each date once it has passed.
- The page now answers how many days are left in plain text, in the intro and under the main timer, so the number shows even before the timers load. Added Game Informer's September 29 cover story and the November 19 shipping date of Rockstar's Collector's Box to the key dates.
- The main timer now also counts to the PlayStation Store unlock time in Japan, India, the countries on Central European Time and the main time zones of Brazil and Mexico, not only in the US and Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand, and the note under it gives the unlock in Manaus, Tijuana and Cancun. Added November 10 as the safe day to cancel a PS Store pre-order with Auto-Download on.
- Made the main timer count to the PS5 unlock on the PlayStation Store listing in the US and Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand (dropping a second timer that showed the same numbers), noted where midnight local differs from the store time, and corrected the key dates: the free GTA+ month comes with digital pre-orders on Xbox as well as PlayStation, and Rockstar Support puts the pre-load start at local midnight on November 12. Added the Xbox cancellation cutoff, 10 days before launch per Xbox Support.