Release date

Overview

Confirmed Grand Theft Auto VI is released on Thursday, November 19, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Digital pre-orders can start pre-loading on November 12, and the physical edition, a box with a download code inside, goes on sale the same day so boxed buyers can pre-load too.

Confirmed November 19 is the game’s third target. Trailer 1 gave a 2025 window, a first delay on May 2, 2025 moved the game to May 26, 2026, and a second delay on November 6, 2025 set the current date.

Key dates

• Confirmed June 25, 2026: pre-orders opened worldwide at midnight local time, for a Standard Edition and an Ultimate Edition, each sold digitally or as a code in a box.
• Confirmed November 12, 2026: pre-load opens for digital pre-orders, and the physical edition goes on sale.
• Confirmed November 19, 2026: launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and release of Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album.
• Confirmed November 20, 2026: the bonus cutoff. Copies pre-ordered or bought before this date get the Vintage Vice City Pack.
• Confirmed Launch time: not announced.

Pre-loading and the physical edition

Confirmed Pre-loading lets a digital pre-order download the game in the week before launch, so it is ready to play on November 19. The physical version is not a disc with the full game: it is a box with a download code inside, which is why it goes on sale a week early, on November 12.

Confirmed Rockstar has not announced the install size.

Our read The week between November 12 and 19 is for downloading, not playing. A boxed copy bought on launch day still has the whole download ahead of it.

What time does it unlock?

Confirmed Rockstar has not announced a launch time.

Our read Recent Rockstar console launches unlocked at midnight local time. Expect the same, but it has not been promised.

How the date moved

Confirmed The history, from Rockstar’s own announcements:

Our read Trailer 2 arrived four days after the first delay, and the second delay added almost six more months. Since November 6, 2025 the date has held for more than ten months, through pre-orders, the Extended Look and a summer of leaks.

The leaks did not move it

Reported In August 2026 a leaker posting as CyberLeek released a run of gameplay clips, 17 by TechWiser’s count. Rockstar responded that the leaks were “heartbreaking for our team”, that the game was “nearly there” and that the release date was unchanged, according to Kotaku, PC Gamer and VGC.

Reported Take-Two went after the leaker in court: subpoenas to Microsoft and Discord on August 20, then to Google and X, and a sealed request on September 1 describing the investigation as “rapidly evolving”, according to Variety, Kotaku, Tom’s Hardware and Dexerto. No names are public.

Reported Sportskeeda reported in early September that a “new leak” circulating after the last clip was fake.

What the cast says

Reported Stephen Root, who told Vice on September 14 that he plays Brian Heder, repeated the date himself: “Yeah, you are going to see me in there. It’s coming out November 19.”

Platforms

Confirmed Only PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S are announced. The official site says the game plays best on PlayStation 5, and no PC version has been announced.

Our read Rockstar’s last two big games reached PC later: GTA V about 19 months after its September 2013 console launch, Red Dead Redemption 2 about 13 months after its October 2018 launch. A PC version, if it comes, is unlikely before late 2027.

Bonuses tied to the date

Confirmed Every pre-order, and every copy bought before November 20, 2026, gets the Vintage Vice City Pack: a ’55 Vapid Stanier with the Shore Court garage near Ocean Beach, 1980s outfits and hair for Jason and Lucia, and a palm-print weapon pattern. Digital pre-orders also get a free month of GTA+, Rockstar’s GTA Online membership, which pays a monthly GTA$500,000 deposit.

Confirmed The Album, 34 original tracks made with Atlantic Records, comes out on launch day.

Our read

Our read The date has now survived the two things most likely to move it, a full marketing push and a leak run, and Rockstar’s only public comment on the leaks restated it. With pre-orders taken, the Album dated to the same day and a cast member quoting November 19 on the record, we treat the date as settled.

Questions

When is GTA 6 coming out? Confirmed Thursday, November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Has GTA 6 been delayed again? Confirmed No. The date has been November 19, 2026 since the second delay on November 6, 2025. Reported After the August leaks Rockstar said the release date was unchanged, according to Kotaku, PC Gamer and VGC.

When can I pre-load GTA 6? Confirmed From November 12, 2026, with a digital pre-order or the code from the boxed edition. Our guide to pre-ordering and pre-loading has the steps.

What time does GTA 6 unlock? Confirmed Rockstar has not said. Our read Midnight local time is the likely pattern.

Is there a PC release date? Confirmed No. See GTA 6 on PC.