GTA 6 Unlocks Early for Millions of Players Worldwide

Players eagerly awaiting Rockstar Games’GTA 6 may get their hands on Vice City slightly earlier than expected thanks to a regional digital unlock schedule.

Rockstar Games’ highly anticipated open-world video game is set to launch globally in November. However, a new update has a loophole through which millions of gamers can get started early in Vice City.

Where GTA 6 unlocks first and how the global rollout works

GTA Vice has noted that the PlayStation Store listings for GTA 6 reveal a worldwide unlock schedule. This means it won’t unlock everywhere simultaneously. Certain players in some regions will get access up to 19 hours before others as the game rolls out across 63 regions. 

Since the game won’t launch on disk, all players will be subject to PlayStation and Xbox’s scheduling for the game’s online release.

The timestamps reveal it will unlock first in New Zealand, followed by Australia, Japan, South Korea, and others. If PlayStation sticks to its schedule, then players in the U.K. and the U.S. will be among the last to get access to the game. For those keeping track, the game will be released at midnight local time, hence the time differences across regions.

Grand Theft Auto 6 has been in the making for almost a decade. The game will be Rockstar’s first release on the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The players will take on the roles of Jason and Lucia as they wreak havoc across Vice City and the state of Leonida.

Like previous Rockstar titles, GTA 6 will also feature a massive open world full of dynamic activities. Similar to GTA 5, players will be able to freely switch between Jason and Lucia during gameplay.

GTA 6 is currently available for digital pre-order on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S ahead of its November 19, 2026, launch.