GTA 6 Release Times Leak: US Gets It Last, New Zealand First

Unofficial GTA 6 release times suggest a staggered global rollout, with New Zealand and Australia getting it first and the US waiting 16 hours longer. Preorders already top 5 million.

Are you ready to wait a little longer for GTA 6? If a new leak is to be believed, the US might be one of the last major markets to get their hands on the game.

GTA 6 launches on November 19, and fans are desperate to know exactly when they can start playing. According to a report from GTA Vice, which scoured PlayStation Store listings across 63 countries and regions, the game won't have a simultaneous global release. Instead, it will unlock at midnight local time on the PlayStation Store. That means players in New Zealand and Australia will dive in first, while the US will be among the final major regions to get started.

Here's how it breaks down: New Zealand gets the game at midnight local time on November 19, which is 5 AM PT / 8 AM ET on November 18. That means US players will have to wait an agonizing 16 hours after that to play in their own region. If you're in the US, that's going to be a tough day watching everyone else go live. And if you're worried about spoilers, you'll definitely want to stay off social media.

But hold on—this is all based on PlayStation Store listings and hasn't been confirmed by Rockstar. GameSpot has reached out to the developer for comment, but so far, nothing official. So take this with a grain of salt; details could change. Rockstar might still announce a different plan.

In the meantime, there's some good news: preloading for GTA 6 begins on November 12. That's also when the physical edition—which includes a code in a box—will be available in stores, though it won't unlock until November 19. So you can get everything ready ahead of time.

And if you're wondering just how massive this launch will be, SensorTower reports that GTA 6 has already sold over 5 million copies via preorders. That number could climb to 25 million by launch, which would generate more than $2 billion in revenue—enough to cover the game's development budget. It's shaping up to be one of the biggest entertainment launches ever.

So, what do you think? Will you be staying up late to play as soon as it unlocks, or will you wait for the hype to die down? Let us know in the comments!