GTA 6 release time: when it unlocks where you are

The unlock is keyed to a store region, not to your timezone. Every country that spans several zones goes live on one clock, which means a large share of players unlock before their own midnight rather than at it.

The United States is anchored to Eastern: the game goes live at 12:00 AM ET, so Pacific players are playing at 9:00 PM on Wednesday 18 November. Australia is anchored to AEDT, so Perth unlocks at 9:00 PM local. Spain is anchored to Madrid, so the Canary Islands unlock at 11:00 PM. If a page tells you “midnight, wherever you are”, it is three hours wrong for most of the American west coast.

Times below are the same instant expressed two ways — local time in the region, and UTC — so you can convert to anywhere. The rollout runs about nineteen hours from first to last.

Each country below has its own page with the exact unlock time, a live countdown to it, the local storefront price, and — for countries spanning several timezones — what the same instant is in each one.

• United States$79.99
• United Kingdom£69.99
• Canada$109.99
• Australia$129.95
• New Zealand$139.95
• India₹5,999
• Japan￥9,800
• South Korea₩89,800
• BrazilR$ 449,90
• Mexico$1,499
• Germany79,99 €
• France79,99 €
• Spain79,99 €
• Italy79,99 €
• Netherlands€ 79,99
• Ireland€79.99
• Portugal79,99 €
• Poland349 zł
• Sweden899 kr
• SwitzerlandCHF 79.90
• Turkey₺3.999
• South AfricaR 1 499
• United Arab Emirates$79.99
• Saudi Arabia$79.99
• Singapore$109

Rockstar has published no unlock schedule of its own. The times come from the per-country timestamps on the PlayStation Store listings, reported by GTABoom and Gfinity, which both read it as midnight local time on 19 November.

The Xbox store does not expose the same country-by-country schedule, so Xbox Series X|S times are an expectation based on the PlayStation listing and on how Rockstar has released before — not a published list. If Rockstar states its own times, this page gets updated to them.

Digital pre-orders can start downloading a week before launch, at midnight local time on Thursday 12 November 2026, on the same regional staggering. Worth doing on the day it opens rather than on the 18th: this is a download of roughly 150 GB or more, and every pre-order in your region starts pulling it at the same moment.

GTA 6 ships single-player only, so there is nothing to matchmake into on night one — but there will be, and the people who have a group already sorted are not the ones scrambling for it then. The GTA 6 crew finder lists players by platform, region and playstyle. See also the full release date timeline , whether GTA 6 is out yet, and what it costs to play GTA 6 all in.

What time does GTA 6 unlock?

At midnight local time on Thursday 19 November 2026, staggered by store region rather than released worldwide at one instant. New Zealand unlocks first, at 11:00 UTC on 18 November, and Mexico is last, at 06:00 UTC on 19 November — a rollout of roughly nineteen hours.

What time does GTA 6 come out in the UK?

12:00 AM GMT on Thursday 19 November 2026, which is 00:00 UTC. The United Kingdom and Ireland unlock together.

What time does GTA 6 unlock in the US?

12:00 AM Eastern on 19 November 2026. The US unlocks on one clock rather than per timezone, so Central is 11:00 PM, Mountain is 10:00 PM and Pacific is 9:00 PM — all on Wednesday 18 November. West coast players get it before their own midnight, not after.

Which country gets GTA 6 first?

New Zealand, at midnight NZDT on 19 November — 11:00 UTC on 18 November. Australia follows two hours later, then Japan and South Korea.

What time can I pre-load GTA 6?

Pre-loading opens at midnight local time on Thursday 12 November 2026, one week before launch, on the same regional schedule as the unlock itself.

Is GTA 6 released at the same time worldwide?

No. It unlocks at local midnight in each store region, so the launch rolls around the world across about nineteen hours. There is no single global release moment.