GTA 6 countdown
GTA 6 unlocks at midnight local time on 19 November 2026. New Zealand goes first; the United States and Canada go last, all at midnight Eastern time, which is 9 PM on 18 November on the West Coast.
GTA 6 unlocks in (at midnight your time)
Where it is already unlocked
Each store region opens at its own midnight, so GTA 6 rolls around the planet over about 19 hours. The board updates by itself.
| Where | Local time | Your time | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your time zone | |||
| New Zealand | Thu 19, 12:00 a.m. | Wed 18, 11:00 a.m. UTC | – |
| Australia (Sydney) | Thu 19, 12:00 a.m. | Wed 18, 01:00 p.m. UTC | – |
| Japan | Thu 19, 12:00 a.m. | Wed 18, 03:00 p.m. UTC | – |
| India | Thu 19, 12:00 a.m. | Wed 18, 06:30 p.m. UTC | – |
| Italy, Spain, France, Germany | Thu 19, 12:00 a.m. | Wed 18, 11:00 p.m. UTC | – |
| United Kingdom, Portugal | Thu 19, 12:00 a.m. | Thu 19, 12:00 a.m. UTC | – |
| Brazil (Brasília) | Thu 19, 12:00 a.m. | Thu 19, 03:00 a.m. UTC | – |
| United States (CT) | Wed 18, 11:00 p.m. | Thu 19, 05:00 a.m. UTC | – |
| United States (PT) | Wed 18, 09:00 p.m. | Thu 19, 05:00 a.m. UTC | – |
| United States, Canada (ET) | Thu 19, 12:00 a.m. | Thu 19, 05:00 a.m. UTC | – |
Unlock times in UTC
| Market | Unlock (UTC) | Local time |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 18 Nov, 11:00 | 00:00 NZDT, 19 Nov |
| Australia (Sydney) | 18 Nov, 13:00 | 00:00 AEDT, 19 Nov |
| Japan | 18 Nov, 15:00 | 00:00 JST, 19 Nov |
| India | 18 Nov, 18:30 | 00:00 IST, 19 Nov |
| Germany, France, Italy, Spain | 18 Nov, 23:00 | 00:00 CET, 19 Nov |
| United Kingdom | 19 Nov, 00:00 | 00:00 GMT |
| Brazil | 19 Nov, 03:00 | 00:00 BRT, 19 Nov |
| USA and Canada | 19 Nov, 05:00 | 00:00 ET, 9 PM PT on 18 Nov |
| Mexico | 19 Nov, 06:00 | 00:00 CST, 19 Nov |
Times come from PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store data read on November 14. Microsoft Store data also gives South Korea 15:00 UTC on November 18, Hong Kong and Taiwan 16:00, the UAE 20:00, Saudi Arabia and Turkey 21:00, South Africa 22:00 and Argentina 03:00 on November 19. PlayStation says the rolling launch starts at 12:00 a.m. NZDT in New Zealand. Rockstar's own posts say only November 19, so check again on launch night.
Why the US unlocks all at once
Forbes reports the US and Canada are one store region keyed to Eastern time. Chicago starts at 11 PM, Denver at 10 PM, Los Angeles at 9 PM, Alaska at 8 PM and Hawaii at 7 PM on 18 November. Store data matches this. Some guides wrongly say midnight local time applies to US Pacific time. It does not: the stores use Eastern time. Canada follows the same Eastern midnight, so Vancouver also starts at 9 PM on 18 November.
Xbox cloud starts later
Xbox Wire says Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming starts at 1 a.m. ET on 19 November, one hour after the US console unlock.
Before the timer hits zero
Pre-load has been open since 10 November. If the game is on your console, it starts the second your region unlocks. If not, you are looking at up to 212 GB to download on a busy night. Run through the launch checklist.
Questions
What time does GTA 6 unlock?
At midnight local time on 19 November 2026. In the US and Canada it is midnight Eastern time for everyone.
Where does GTA 6 unlock first?
New Zealand, at 11:00 UTC on 18 November, followed by Australia and Japan.
What time does GTA 6 unlock in the UK?
At 00:00 GMT on 19 November 2026, on both PlayStation and Xbox.
What time does GTA 6 come out in the US?
At 12 AM Eastern on 19 November, which is 9 PM Pacific on 18 November.
Can I play earlier by changing my console region?
Pure Xbox reports that moving your console to New Zealand to play early may break Xbox terms, which forbid circumventing regional restrictions.
Sources
Guides
- Release dateNov 19Midnight local time, country by country.
- Launch checklistEight things to do before midnight, ticked on your device.
- Pre-load212 GBGTA 6 pre-load opened November 10 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Start times, the 212 GB size, how code-in-box copies pre-load and the first update.
- Download and play timesGTA 6 pre-load has been open since November 10 and the download is up to 212 GB. You can play at midnight local time on November 19. Boxed code and update.