Rockstar confirms GTA VI pre-load: it starts November 10, takes up to 212 GB and comes with a free Leonida map
We read Rockstar's announcement: GTA VI pre-loading opens Tuesday, November 10, two days earlier than expected, and needs up to 212 GB. Boxed editions hit stores on the 12th, and on launch day you get a free printable cover poster and map of Leonida.
Status: Confirmed. Rockstar announced it on the Newswire. Still missing: exact size per console (only a maximum is given) and the launch-day unlock time.
GTA VI pre-loading has a date: Tuesday, November 10, nine days before the November 19 launch. Rockstar shared it on November 3 in a Newswire post we've gone through in full. It covers timing per console, download size, when boxed copies reach stores and a launch-day freebie.
PS5 and Xbox don't start together
- PS5: digital pre-loading opens Tuesday, November 10 at midnight local time in each time zone.
- Xbox Series X|S: it opens worldwide at once, Tuesday, November 10 at 12 a.m. GMT.
Here's when the Xbox pre-load opens where you are:
| Where | Time |
|---|---|
| UK and Portugal | 12 a.m., Nov 10 |
| Spain (mainland) | 1 a.m., Nov 10 |
| New York | 7 p.m., Nov 9 |
| Mexico City | 6 p.m., Nov 9 |
In the Americas, Xbox players can start downloading on the evening of Monday the 9th. On PS5, you wait for local midnight on the 10th.
Up to 212 GB: clear some space now
According to Rockstar, the pre-load file needs up to 212 GB depending on your device. There's no breakdown for PS5, Series X or Series S, so treat 212 GB as the ceiling.
That lines up with the 210 GB PS5 figure pulled from the PlayStation Store database on October 27. It's now official.
Rockstar points to its Support site for step-by-step pre-load instructions.
Pre-load moves up from the 12th
Until today, the pre-load date going around was November 12. IGN reported it and so did we. Rockstar now says the 10th. November 12 is still a key date, though: it's when the code-in-box versions for both consoles should start showing up at retailers.
A boxed copy won't save you the download. It's a code, so you can start downloading as soon as you have it.
Launch-day freebie: a cover poster and a map of Leonida
On November 19, Rockstar will add an official printable GTA VI cover art poster and a map of Leonida to the official site as a free download.
Shortly after launch, a double-sided physical version will hit the Rockstar Store: $0.99 on its own, or free with any purchase.
The post closes with the ESRB M (17+) rating: intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, drugs and alcohol, plus in-game purchases.
Got 212 GB free, or are you deleting games before Tuesday? Tell us in the forum.
The Leonida Read
Certainty: Confirmed
For launch night, the download stops being the bottleneck. Pre-loading opens November 10 (on Xbox, the evening of the 9th across the Americas), so anyone who frees up space in time can jump in the moment the game unlocks. A boxed copy won't get you out of it: it's a code, and those 212 GB still have to come down.
The size backs up the 210 GB PlayStation Store figure we reported on October 27. The date is a correction, though: we said the 12th, as IGN did, and Rockstar says the 10th. It's a busy launch week all round, with Take-Two reporting earnings on November 9 and the Heat playing as Vice City on the 18th.
What to watch: on the 10th, the exact size each store lists for PS5, Series X and Series S, since Rockstar only gives a ceiling. The November 19 unlock time and any day-one patch are still open questions. We haven't seen a full official map of Leonida before either; if this is one, it becomes the map everyone navigates by.
Bringing back the paper map, even as a download and a 99-cent print, is the best touch in the whole announcement.
The Leonida Hub desk
Sources Rockstar Newswire. Consulted on November 3, 2026.