When do GTA 6 reviews come out? Two leakers point to November 18

Rockstar hasn't said when outlets can publish their GTA 6 reviews. The date making the rounds is Wednesday, November 18, the day before the game's November 19 launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and it comes from two leakers rather than the publisher. If it holds, the first reviews would appear between 6 and 7 a.m. ET (3 to 4 a.m. PT), about 18 hours before the U.S. PlayStation Store unlocks the game at midnight Eastern.

What is confirmed is the preload. It opens Thursday, November 12, six days before the rumored embargo, and on PS5 starting the download ends your right to cancel your preorder.

What a review embargo is

Publishers send games to critics weeks early so they have time to finish them. In return, reviewers agree not to publish before a set date and time. That deadline is the embargo, and it's why nearly every review drops in the same minute. Outlets that break one risk being left off the list for future early copies.

For buyers, the embargo lifting is the first moment you can find out whether a game delivers. From that minute, scores start piling up on Metacritic and OpenCritic, two sites that average them.

Where November 18 comes from

On October 26, NateTheHate, a leaker who regularly posts industry dates and announcements on X, said Rockstar had started sending review copies to media outlets. He put it in one line: "Review embargo is November 18th." Neither Rockstar nor its parent company, Take-Two, has confirmed or denied it.

The time of day comes from someone else. On October 23, a ResetEra forum user called BlackBate placed the embargo on the same day, between 6 and 7 a.m. ET. BlackBate also said some sites and YouTube channels would have to hold off until the game launches at 12:01 a.m. ET on November 19.

Two separate sources landing on the same date make it more believable, but not official. It also fits Rockstar's last two big launches. GTA V reviews went up on September 16, 2013, a day before release, and Red Dead Redemption 2 reviews followed the same pattern on October 25, 2018.

Still missing are confirmation from Rockstar, an official time and whether video reviews will wait for launch. A note from the publisher, or outlets announcing when their reviews go live, as they often do in the final days, would settle it.

Preloading opens six days before the expected reviews

Preloading opens at midnight local time on Thursday, November 12, according to Rockstar Support. It lets you have the game installed and ready the moment it unlocks on November 19, but on PS5 it comes with a catch if you want to read reviews first.

Under the PlayStation Store cancellation policy, a preorder paid more than 14 days before release can be canceled for a refund any time before launch, as long as you haven't started downloading the main game. A preload counts as a download. If you pay within 14 days of launch, you get 14 days from the charge to cancel, under the same condition.

With automatic downloads switched on, your console may start the preload on its own on November 12 and lock you in before a single review exists. To keep the option open, turn automatic downloads off in your system settings and start the download yourself once you've read the verdicts.

On Xbox, Microsoft says any preorder can be canceled online, and one that has already been charged is handled as a refund. The page doesn't mention preloading. The boxed edition contains a download code, so returns depend on the store you bought it from.

Waiting for reviews won't cost you the preorder bonus either. The Vintage Vice City Pack comes with preorders and with any purchase made before November 20, so if reviews do land on the 18th, you'll still have the 18th and 19th to buy the game and get it. We cover that in more detail in whether preordering GTA 6 is worth it, and download sizes and steps are in our GTA 6 preload guide.