GTA 6 Pre-Load Date Officially Moved up by 2 Days

Rockstar Games has moved the GTA 6 digital pre-load date forward by two days, giving players who pre-ordered on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S an earlier start on the download. For a release expected to take up a sizeable amount of console storage, those extra days could spare players some last-minute installation trouble.

The November 19 launch date remains unchanged. Rockstar has also clarified the platform-specific start times and shared a storage requirement that players should check before downloading. The revised schedule also answers a question for anyone planning to buy a boxed copy.

The Updated GTA 6 Pre-Loading Schedule

Rockstar announced the change through its November 3 Newswire post, confirming that digital pre-loading will now start on November 10, moving up from November 12. Take-Two had originally announced the November 12 date on June 24, when it confirmed that pre-orders were opening for the game.

On PS5, the pre-load opens at midnight on November 10 in each player’s local time zone. Sony separately repeated this detail in a latest PlayStation.Blog guide, confirming that access will follow the local calendar date instead of one worldwide start time.

Xbox Series X|S players can begin pre-loading globally at 12 AM GMT on November 10, which translates to 7 PM EST/4 PM PST on November 9. Yes, this essentially means that Xbox owners in the US can start their downloads on the evening before the date listed in Rockstar’s official announcement.

That said, both versions of GTA 6 are still scheduled to launch on November 19. The earlier download window is only for digital pre-order customers to get the installation ready before release. It does not unlock the game early, so everyone will still have to wait for launch day to play.

GTA 6′s Pre-Load Will Require Up to 212 GB of Storage

Your current games have some tough competition for storage. | Credit: Rockstar Games

Rockstar says the pre-load will require up to 212 GB of available space, depending on your device. PlayStation’s guide also advises PS5 owners to “get ready by clearing a minimum of 212 GB” before pre-downloading. That’s a sizeable chunk of storage, so make sure to check how much free space you have before November 10. If your console is already close to capacity, you may need to decide which games in your backlog can keep waiting.

Rockstar has also confirmed that code-in-box versions for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S should reach retailers starting November 12. These editions come with a digital download code instead of a traditional game disc, so buying a physical copy won’t save you from downloading the full game (for now). You’ll still need enough storage and a reliable internet connection to get it installed.

If you’ve pre-ordered digitally, you can start downloading earlier. Those buying a code-in-box edition will have to wait until the copies reach retailers on November 12. At the end of the day, though, both roads lead to the same November 19 launch, and neither will offer players any sort of “early access” into Vice City. But getting the installation sorted up to a week in advance should leave you with one less thing to worry about when Jason and Lucia finally arrive.

Have you already made enough room on your console for GTA 6, or will you need to clear out some storage before its pre-load begins? Let us know in the comments!