Grand Theft Auto VI wants 212GB of your console, and the box in the shop holds a code, not a disc

The most anticipated video game in years is already downloading onto consoles around the world, locked until launch day.

Rockstar Games opened preloading for Grand Theft Auto VI on Tuesday, giving players who pre-ordered digitally a head start on a download of up to 212GB, depending on the console. The game launches on Thursday 19 November on PlayStation 5, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.

On Xbox, preloading began at midnight GMT on 10 November, which was 8am AWST and 11am AEDT on Tuesday. On PlayStation it opened at midnight local time on 10 November in each region.

What if I buy a boxed copy?

You will still be downloading. Rockstar is not producing physical discs for the game. The boxes going on sale contain a code, and the company says they should be in shops from Thursday 12 November. Once you redeem the code, you can preload like everyone else.

That matters for anyone on a slow or capped internet plan. On a typical 50 megabits per second home connection, it would take around nine to ten hours at full speed, so starting this week rather than on launch night is the difference between playing on day one and waiting.

Will it fit?

Check before you start. A 512GB Xbox Series S has about 362GB of usable space, so the game alone would take more than half of it. Owners of smaller drives may need to delete other games first.

On Xbox, the game can be found in the Microsoft Store and installed from there. On PlayStation, the preload option is on the game’s page in the PlayStation Store, or it can download automatically from the game library if automatic downloads are switched on.

When can I actually play?

On 19 November. PlayStation’s support page says the game unlocks at midnight local time, which would put players in Australia and New Zealand among the first in the world to get in. Rockstar has not published a full table of regional unlock times.

There is no PC version at launch. Rockstar has announced the game only for current-generation consoles.

How much does it cost?

In the United States, the Standard Edition is US$80 and the Ultimate Edition US$100 on the PlayStation and Xbox stores. Rockstar will also release a printable cover-art poster and a map of Leonida, the game’s fictional state, as a free digital download on launch day.

Why has it taken so long?

Grand Theft Auto V came out in September 2013, which makes this the longest wait between main games in the series. Rockstar first showed GTA VI in December 2023 with a 2025 release window, then moved it to May 2026, then to 19 November 2026. Pre-release sales have been reported at around 8 million copies.

For Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar’s owner, the launch is the biggest event in its calendar. For players, it is now simply a matter of disk space and bandwidth.