GTA 6 preloading opens at local midnight on Thursday, November 12, on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It covers digital preorders and boxed-copy codes redeemed before launch, according to Rockstar's support page. The game unlocks a week later. The US PlayStation Store lists 12 a.m. Eastern on Thursday, November 19, which is 9 p.m. Pacific on Wednesday, November 18.
As of October 24, neither Rockstar nor the PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store listings show how big the download is. Until that number appears, the useful move is to check how much free space you have and pick the games you would delete or move if the console asks for more.
How big is GTA 6 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S?
Rockstar has not published a storage requirement for either console. The US PlayStation Store listing promises a seven-day preload but gives no size, and the Microsoft Store page does not list one either. The exact figure will show up on November 12 at the latest, when your console starts the download and reports how much it needs. If it says you are short on space, you still have until November 19 to clear room without missing the unlock.
Treat the numbers on social media with suspicion. The 676.7GB screenshot that went around in June came from a parody account, Insider Gaming found. Working it out from older Rockstar games does not help much either, because the final size depends on how this version is compressed and whether a day-one patch arrives. Rockstar has not announced one.
What time GTA 6 unlocks in the US
Sony's US store sets the release for 05:00 UTC on November 19. Daylight saving time ends on November 1, so that works out to midnight Eastern on Thursday, November 19, which is 11 p.m. Central, 10 p.m. Mountain and 9 p.m. Pacific on Wednesday, November 18.
Xbox has no published unlock time. Neither Rockstar nor the Microsoft Store listing gives one, so do not assume it will match PlayStation. Preloading does not let you start early either. The files stay locked on the console until release, and none of the editions on sale in either store includes early access.
How to preload GTA 6 on PS5
A PlayStation Store preorder can download by itself while the console sits in rest mode. PlayStation's support guide sets it up like this:
1. Preorder Grand Theft Auto VI on the PlayStation Store, or redeem the code from the box. To redeem it, open the PlayStation Store, press the triangle button, go to «…» and choose Redeem Code. 2. Turn on Auto-Download under Settings > Saved Data and Game/App Settings > Automatic Updates. 3. In your Game Library, open GTA VI, select the countdown timer and tick the content you want. Then select OK. 4. Turn on Stay Connected to the Internet under Settings > System > Power Saving > Features Available in Rest Mode.
On November 12, check the downloads list in the control center. If the game is not there, open it from your library and start the download yourself.
How to preload GTA 6 on Xbox Series X|S
There is no official GTA VI preload guide for Xbox like the one PlayStation offers, so treat these as general steps. Menu names may differ on your console:
1. Preorder on the Microsoft Store, or redeem the box code at xbox.com/redeem using the same Microsoft account you play on. Once redeemed, a code cannot be moved to another account. 2. From November 12, find GTA VI in your game collection or in the console store and start the install. 3. If you want the download to keep going while you are away, check in the power settings that the console keeps downloading when idle, and that automatic updates are on.
Before you walk away, check the download queue to make sure the install is moving.
If you buy the boxed edition
The physical edition of GTA 6 has no disc. It contains a download code. Rockstar expects retailers to start shipping boxes and offering pickup on November 12, though it describes that as expected rather than guaranteed. You can redeem the code as soon as you have it, and if you do so before launch the preload works exactly like a digital preorder.
A box that arrives on November 12 leaves you seven days to download, while one that shows up on November 18 leaves only a few hours. On PS5 the code must also match your account region, as we covered in our story on GTA 6's region-locked PS5 box code. Rockstar says Xbox codes are not region locked. The Ultimate Edition is digital only, and prices, editions and the release date are in everything we know about GTA 6.
How to free up space before November 12
On PS5, free space is shown under Settings > Storage. On Xbox Series X|S, look for the storage section of the system settings. Sort installed games by size and start with the ones you have not opened in months. Uninstalling does not delete your saves, which are stored separately on the console and, if you use cloud saves, online as well.
If you would rather not delete anything, a USB drive is a halfway option. PS5 games can be parked on external USB storage but cannot be played from it, so you copy them back to internal storage before playing. That saves you from downloading them again later.
If your console is simply too small, the lasting fix on PS5 is an M.2 SSD, an internal storage drive that slots into the console's expansion bay. Our guide to expanding PS5 storage covers compatible drives and installation. On Xbox Series X|S, the equivalent is a compatible storage expansion card.
And if you are worried a download this large will not finish in time, read why PS5 downloads are slow and how to speed them up before November 12.
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