GTA 6 pre-load starts November 10, the game needs up to 212 GB and unlocks at midnight local time on November 19

Heads up, because it is official now: Rockstar Games has confirmed that Grand Theft Auto VI pre-loading begins on Tuesday, November 10, and that the file can take up to 212 GB, “depending on your device.” The game launches on November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, at midnight local time in each region. Time to start clearing space on your console.

The times

• PS5: digital pre-load from midnight local time on November 10, in your own time zone.
• Xbox Series X|S: pre-load opens globally at 12 a.m. GMT on November 10, which is 7 p.m. ET and 4 p.m. PT on Monday, November 9.
• Code-in-box: anyone buying the physical version (which comes with a download code, no disc) can only pre-load from November 12, when retailers should receive their copies.
• Launch: November 19 at midnight local time. New Zealand plays first: its midnight lands at 11 a.m. GMT on Wednesday, November 18 (6 a.m. ET), so watch out for spoilers on social media that day.

212 GB is a lot

The 212 GB figure is the size of the pre-load file; Rockstar has not said whether the final installed size differs between PS5 and Xbox. The PlayStation Blog recommends clearing at least 212 GB on the PS5 SSD and points out that storage can be expanded with an extra M.2 SSD. On a 1 TB console, the game will eat more than a fifth of the space, so the tip is to start deleting what you no longer play before the 10th, not in the early hours of launch day.

Poster, map and pre-orders

On November 19, Rockstar will add a free printable cover-art poster and a map of Leonida to its official site. A double-sided physical version follows shortly after launch on the Rockstar Store, for $0.99 on its own or as a free gift with any purchase. Pre-orders remain open: on the US PlayStation Store, the Standard Edition costs $79.99 and the Ultimate Edition $99.99 (checked on November 5). Everything about editions, languages and platforms is in our GTA 6 guide, and the game tops our list of November releases.

So there you have it: November 10 is download day, November 19 is play day. Check the monthly game release calendar too.

Sources: Rockstar Games (Newswire), PlayStation Blog and Vice.