The short answer
The release date is Thursday, November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The unlock time is midnight on your account's store-region clock, not one global instant.
| Store region | Local unlock |
|---|---|
| US and Canada | 12:00 a.m. ET (9:00 p.m. PT on November 18) |
| UK and Ireland | 12:00 a.m. GMT |
| Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Netherlands | 12:00 a.m. CET |
| Poland | 12:00 a.m. CET |
| Australia | 12:00 a.m. AEDT (9:00 p.m. AWST in Perth on November 18) |
| New Zealand | 12:00 a.m. NZDT |
| India | 12:00 a.m. IST |
| Japan and South Korea | 12:00 a.m. JST / KST |
| Singapore | 12:00 a.m. SGT |
| UAE | 12:00 a.m. GST |
| South Africa | 12:00 a.m. SAST |
| Brazil | 12:00 a.m. BRT (11:00 p.m. AMT in Manaus on November 18) |
| Mexico | 12:00 a.m. CST (10:00 p.m. PST in Tijuana on November 18) |
Multi-zone store regions — the US and Canada, Australia, Mexico and Brazil — have more than one local unlock time. Their regional pages list every zone, including the ones that unlock on the evening of November 18.
The Philippines is not listed because no Philippines-specific timestamp has been published. See the Philippines page for what your account region means.
Why US zones west of Eastern unlock on November 18
The US and Canada are one store region keyed to Eastern Time. Both console stores publish the same instant: 05:00 UTC on November 19, which is 12:00 a.m. ET. That single instant lands earlier on every clock west of New York.
| US zone | GTA 6 unlocks |
|---|---|
| Eastern Time (ET) | 12:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, November 19, 2026 |
| Central Time (CT) | 11:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 |
| Mountain Time (MT) | 10:00 p.m. MT on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 |
| Pacific Time (PT) | 9:00 p.m. PT on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 |
| Alaska Time (AKT) | 8:00 p.m. AKT on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 |
| Hawaii Time (HT) | 7:00 p.m. HT on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 |
This is not an early-access edition and it is not a region-switching trick. It is how the single US/Canada store timestamp works.
PS5 and Xbox preloads are different
PS5 preload opens at 12:00 a.m. local time in your timezone on Tuesday, November 10, 2026. Xbox preload opens at 12:00 a.m. GMT on the same date, which is one global instant and lands on the evening of November 9 in the Americas.
| Zone | PS5 preload | Xbox preload (00:00 GMT) |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Time (ET) | Tue, Nov 10 at 12:00 a.m. ET | Mon, Nov 9 at 7:00 p.m. ET |
| Pacific Time (PT) | Tue, Nov 10 at 12:00 a.m. PT | Mon, Nov 9 at 4:00 p.m. PT |
| UK / Ireland (GMT) | Tue, Nov 10 at 12:00 a.m. GMT | Tue, Nov 10 at 12:00 a.m. GMT |
| Central European Time (CET) | Tue, Nov 10 at 12:00 a.m. CET | Tue, Nov 10 at 1:00 a.m. CET |
| Sydney / Melbourne / Hobart (AEDT) | Tue, Nov 10 at 12:00 a.m. AEDT | Tue, Nov 10 at 11:00 a.m. AEDT |
| New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT) | Tue, Nov 10 at 12:00 a.m. NZDT | Tue, Nov 10 at 1:00 p.m. NZDT |
Preload does not unlock the game early. It only puts the files on your console.
Your account region decides
The unlock follows the store region on your PlayStation or Xbox account, not the country you are standing in. A US account in London still uses the US timestamp; a UK account in New York still uses the UK timestamp. Physical code-in-box copies are also region-locked to the account used to redeem them.
The Philippines is the one region on this site where no storefront timestamp is published yet. The PlayStation Philippines page redirects to the US store and the Xbox Philippines page is missing, so the honest answer is that your account's store region decides and the PHT time is not published.
What to check before launch
- Space: allow up to 212 GB. PlayStation lists a minimum of 212 GB.
- Edition: Standard is $79.99 and Ultimate is $99.99 in the US. Ultimate is digital-only.
- Physical: the box contains a download code, not a disc, and is expected at retailers from November 12.
- PC: no PC version at launch and no PC date has been announced.
- Early access: there is no early-access edition. Preload does not unlock the game before November 19.
Where these times come from
The unlock instants are the timestamps published by the PlayStation Store and Xbox Store for each store region. Rockstar's support page states the general rule: midnight local time on November 19, 2026, in all regions for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Each regional page repeats the exact storefront links used for its time.