:COUNTDOWN [targettime:2026-11-18T11:00:00Z]

:COUNTDOWN [targettime:2026-11-19T05:00:00Z]

:INFO
The short answer
GTA 6 is dated Thursday 19 November 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Rockstar's support page on regional pre-load and release times describes a midnight local time release. Store listings fans tracked match that. Find your row below.

:TABLE [title:When it is 00:00 on 19 Nov in your zone]
Your zone | UTC offset | Unlock in UTC | New York (ET) | London | Berlin, Zurich
New Zealand | +13 | 18 Nov 11:00 | 18 Nov 06:00 | 18 Nov 11:00 | 18 Nov 12:00
Sydney, Melbourne | +11 | 18 Nov 13:00 | 18 Nov 08:00 | 18 Nov 13:00 | 18 Nov 14:00
Japan, South Korea | +9 | 18 Nov 15:00 | 18 Nov 10:00 | 18 Nov 15:00 | 18 Nov 16:00
India | +5:30 | 18 Nov 18:30 | 18 Nov 13:30 | 18 Nov 18:30 | 18 Nov 19:30
UAE | +4 | 18 Nov 20:00 | 18 Nov 15:00 | 18 Nov 20:00 | 18 Nov 21:00
South Africa | +2 | 18 Nov 22:00 | 18 Nov 17:00 | 18 Nov 22:00 | 18 Nov 23:00
Germany, Switzerland, France | +1 | 18 Nov 23:00 | 18 Nov 18:00 | 18 Nov 23:00 | 19 Nov 00:00
UK, Ireland, Portugal | 0 | 19 Nov 00:00 | 18 Nov 19:00 | 19 Nov 00:00 | 19 Nov 01:00
Brazil (Brasilia) | -3 | 19 Nov 03:00 | 18 Nov 22:00 | 19 Nov 03:00 | 19 Nov 04:00
US and Canada East | -5 | 19 Nov 05:00 | 19 Nov 00:00 | 19 Nov 05:00 | 19 Nov 06:00
Mexico City, US Central | -6 | 19 Nov 06:00 | 19 Nov 01:00 | 19 Nov 06:00 | 19 Nov 07:00

:NOTE
US Central, Mountain and Pacific: one source says stores list a single US time of 05:00 UTC (midnight Eastern), so 11 pm Central, 10 pm Mountain, 9 pm Pacific on 18 Nov. True local midnight would be 06:00, 07:00, 08:00 UTC.
Sources differ, so plan for the earlier time and trust your console countdown.

:INFO
Check your own zone in 3 steps
1. Find your UTC offset on 19 Nov 2026 (Northern hemisphere clocks went back in autumn, so US Eastern is UTC-5, UK is UTC+0, Central Europe is UTC+1).
2. Unlock in UTC = 00:00 minus your offset. Example: Zurich is +1, so 00:00 local is 23:00 UTC on 18 Nov. New York is -5, so 00:00 is 05:00 UTC.
3. Convert that UTC time to your clock. Australia and New Zealand are in summer time (Sydney +11, Auckland +13), which the table already includes.

:TIMELINE
What is known and what is not
2026-11-10 | Pre-load opens (PS5 at local midnight, Xbox at 00:00 GMT, per Rockstar support)
2026-11-18 | First reported unlock, New Zealand (store listings, not a Rockstar table)
2026-11-19 | US East Coast midnight, 00:00 Eastern
Day one patch size, Xbox Cloud Gaming time (1:00 AM ET per one report), PC date

:NOTE
Not announced as a full table by Rockstar: the hours above are calculated from the midnight local rule and match store listings reported by outlets on 12 Nov 2026. Read the date and time on your own console store page and trust it over this page.

:INFO
Be ready before it unlocks
Pre-load needs about 212 GB free and the game stays locked until your unlock time. Our other guides cover the space, the download and the deals.

:LINK
https://slatesource.com/@launchdayguides/gta-6-storage-planner-ps5-and-xbox
Storage planner

:LINK
https://slatesource.com/@launchdayguides/gta-6-not-downloading-fix-checklist-ps5-xbox
Download stuck? Fix checklist

:LINK
https://slatesource.com/@launchdayguides/console-deal-checker-black-friday-2026
Console deal checker

:CONTACT
Wrong time for your region? Tell us
Send your country and the time your console store shows. We check it and update this page.

:NOTE
Unofficial fan guide. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Rockstar Games, Take-Two, Sony, Microsoft or any platform. Game names are used only to say which release this guide is for.