GTA 6 launches on Thursday, November 19, 2026, and players in some parts of the world will start playing hours before everyone else, since reports say the game unlocks at local midnight in each region. New Zealand goes first, which means fans there could be exploring Vice City while players in the Americas are still waiting.
This page gives you a live countdown for your own time zone, a table of unlock times around the world, and clear answers to the questions players ask most, including whether the so-called New Zealand trick is worth trying.
Rockstar Games has confirmed the release date and that preloading is available, but it has not published an official unlock time, so the hour comes from regional store listings and should be treated as reported rather than final. We will update this page if Rockstar changes anything.
When does GTA 6 come out in my region?
GTA 6 unlocks at local midnight on November 19 in most regions, so the answer depends on where you live, and players in the United States and Canada share a single unlock at 12:00 a.m. Eastern. The panel below detects your time zone automatically and shows when the game unlocks for you, together with a live countdown that updates every second.
Your region is detected automatically from your device. If you can read this message, JavaScript is turned off, so please check the time zone table below for your unlock time.
GTA 6 release date, price and platforms
Rockstar confirmed November 19, 2026 as the release date in a post on its official Newswire, and parent company Take-Two has repeated that date in its earnings updates since then. The game was delayed earlier, which is why many fans have treated the date cautiously, but November 19 is the only date Rockstar has given.
GTA 6 launches on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and Rockstar has not announced a PC version, so any PC release date you see online is speculation. If a PC version is announced, the news will appear in the same place as the other official updates.
Pre-order listings put the Standard Edition at $79.99 and the Ultimate Edition at $99.99, according to reports on the pre-orders that opened in late June. Prices may differ by region and store, so it is worth checking the listing where you plan to buy.
Digital preloading began at local midnight on November 12, according to reports, which means players who pre-ordered a digital copy can download the game in advance. Preloading does not let you play early because the game stays locked until the unlock time for your region, so make sure you have enough free storage before launch day.
GTA 6 release time by time zone
According to the PlayStation Store listings, each region unlocks at local midnight on November 19, which puts New Zealand first at 11:00 UTC on November 18. Mexico and Central America come last at 06:00 UTC on November 19, a gap of 19 hours between the earliest and latest unlocks.
Reports say the PlayStation 5 digital release is split into 15 separate windows covering 63 countries and regions, and for the United States and Canada the listing points to 12:00 a.m. Eastern. If that single window applies across both countries, players further west would see the game unlock earlier on their clocks, for example at 9:00 p.m. Pacific on November 18.
First unlock in the world: New Zealand
In your local time: 12:00 a.m. NZDT, November 19
| Region | Unlocks (local) | UTC | US Eastern |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | Nov 19, 12:00 a.m. | Nov 18, 11:00 | Nov 18, 6:00 a.m. |
| Australia (Sydney) | Nov 19, 12:00 a.m. | Nov 18, 13:00 | Nov 18, 8:00 a.m. |
| Japan and South Korea | Nov 19, 12:00 a.m. | Nov 18, 15:00 | Nov 18, 10:00 a.m. |
| United Arab Emirates | Nov 19, 12:00 a.m. | Nov 18, 20:00 | Nov 18, 3:00 p.m. |
| Central Europe | Nov 19, 12:00 a.m. | Nov 18, 23:00 | Nov 18, 6:00 p.m. |
| United Kingdom | Nov 19, 12:00 a.m. | Nov 19, 00:00 | Nov 18, 7:00 p.m. |
| Brazil (Brasilia) | Nov 19, 12:00 a.m. | Nov 19, 03:00 | Nov 18, 10:00 p.m. |
| US and Canada (Eastern) | Nov 19, 12:00 a.m. | Nov 19, 05:00 | Nov 19, 12:00 a.m. |
| Mexico | Nov 19, 12:00 a.m. | Nov 19, 06:00 | Nov 19, 1:00 a.m. |
These times assume local midnight in each region, as reported, so check the store listing on your own console for the exact time because Rockstar has not confirmed the hour. Xbox listings may also differ from PlayStation, since Rockstar has not published a separate Xbox schedule.
The 19-hour gap between the first and last regions means early players could share spoilers while others are still waiting, so if you want to stay spoiler-free it is worth muting the game’s name and key words on social media before launch. Avoiding video sites and group chats until you have played is the safest approach.
Can I play GTA 6 with the New Zealand trick?
The New Zealand trick means changing your console or account region to New Zealand, in the hope that the game then unlocks on New Zealand’s schedule, roughly 18 hours before the United States. Several outlets have suggested it for Xbox, but the unlock-time reports do not confirm that changing region will unlock the game early, so it should be treated as unverified.
On PlayStation, an account is tied to the region chosen when it was created, and that choice generally cannot be changed, so using the trick there would likely mean a separate New Zealand account with its own store, purchases and payment methods. Your existing library and saved progress would stay on your original account.
There are other risks as well, because buying from another region’s store can require local payment methods, and platform rules may limit region changes or restrict what you can do afterwards. Rockstar has not endorsed the idea, so check Sony’s or Microsoft’s own policies before trying it.
Our view is that it is not worth it, since the game unlocks for everyone within about a day. Preloading means you will be ready, and a mistake could leave you locked out of a game you paid for. Waiting for your own region’s unlock is the safest option.
We will update this page if Rockstar confirms the unlock time or changes the schedule.
GTA 6 release FAQ
It depends on your time zone, since reports say each region unlocks at local midnight on November 19, so use the personalised countdown near the top of this page to see your own unlock time.
GTA 6 launches on November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and Rockstar Games has confirmed the date.
Reports based on PlayStation Store listings say it unlocks at local midnight on November 19 in each region, which is 12:00 a.m. Eastern for the United States and Canada, although Rockstar has not officially confirmed the hour.
Rockstar has not announced a PC version, and the game is confirmed only for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Pre-order listings put the Standard Edition at $79.99 and the Ultimate Edition at $99.99, although prices can differ by region and store.
Yes, if you pre-ordered a digital copy, because preloading began at local midnight on November 12, but the game stays locked until the unlock time for your region.
It is unconfirmed, since switching your region may not unlock the game early and can cause problems with purchases and payment methods, so we do not recommend relying on it.
