YouTube will stream the GTA VI launch for 24 hours with Rockstar: times, creators and gifts
YouTube announces on its blog a 24-hour stream for the GTA VI launch, in collaboration with Rockstar: a pre-show on the 18th with RDCWorld, creator gameplay, "Wanted Stars" gifts and a Shorts effect. Here are the times.
Status: Confirmed. YouTube announced it on its official blog, which describes a collaboration with Rockstar Games. Last updated: November 12.
YouTube is going to stream the GTA VI launch for 24 hours straight. It announced it today, November 12, on its official blog: there will be live gameplay, creator podcasts and original content, wrapping up with on-the-ground coverage from Miami. It airs on YouTube's own channel, youtube.com/youtube, which has already been redesigned for the occasion.
When it starts
| US Eastern | US Pacific | UK | Spain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-show, with RDCWorld | Nov 18, 11 PM | Nov 18, 8 PM | Nov 19, 4 AM | Nov 19, 5 AM |
| 24-hour stream | Nov 19, 12 AM | Nov 18, 9 PM | Nov 19, 5 AM | Nov 19, 6 AM |
YouTube gives the times in US Eastern. We worked out the rest.
One detail: GTA VI unlocks at midnight local time in every region. In the UK you'll have been playing for five hours when the stream starts, while on the US West Coast it kicks off three hours before you can play.
Who's on
- RDCWorld hosts the pre-show.
- For the stream itself, YouTube names Caylus, Zhong, Kat, Jelly, Rivers, Jake Baldino and Cinna, "and more."
- It's produced with Entropico.
- You get in by clicking the custom GTA VI logo on the YouTube homepage.
What else YouTube has planned
- Five limited-edition live gifts themed on the game. One is "Wanted Stars." Eligible viewers of select creator streams can claim and send one for free while supplies last.
- A Shorts effect, "GTAVI: Visit Vice City", to put yourself in Vice City with several of the game's backdrops.
- Creator videos from Miami during launch week: breakdowns, storytelling and behind-the-scenes content.
- The music on YouTube Music. The official soundtrack and a series anthology playlist will sit on the YouTube Music homepage during launch week. YouTube mentions Morgan Wallen's "Last Thing You Need," one of the singles from The Album.
The numbers
According to YouTube, Grand Theft Auto videos have racked up over 900 billion views on the platform. Pre-launch GTA VI videos alone have passed 40 billion.
YouTube's channel goes pink neon
According to VGTimes, YouTube's official channel has a new look: an avatar with the logo over a sunset with palm trees, and a pink neon banner reading "Launch Day" and "24 Hour GTAVI Live Stream." It has pinned a video, "Launch Day: YouTube's 24 Hour GTAVI Livestream," and has waiting pages in several languages: English, Hindi, Spanish, Japanese, Indonesian and Arabic. YouTube's blog doesn't mention languages; that detail comes from VGTimes.
Is it YouTube's or Rockstar's?
Some accounts are framing it as a YouTube-only event. The blog says otherwise: YouTube and Rockstar Games are partnering on creator content and interactive features. Rockstar hasn't posted anything about the stream on its Newswire, as far as we've seen.
It adds to an already packed week in Miami: the Heat's Vice City night on the 18th, The Vault from the 20th to the 22nd and GTA VI: The Festival on the 21st.
Will you watch it live or be too busy playing? Tell us in the forum.
The Leonida Read
Depending on where you are, the stream lands early or late, but never in sync with your own game. In the UK the game unlocks at midnight and the stream starts at 5 AM. On the US West Coast, it starts three hours before you can play. If you can't wait, you'll have 24 hours of other people's gameplay to see what's coming.
What stands out is the size of the bet. YouTube doesn't usually hand its main channel to a game, and here it brings a custom logo, gifts, a Shorts effect and a full day of broadcasting. With 40 billion views before release, GTA VI is already content for the platform, not just an ad.
There's one question the blog doesn't answer: how much of the game we'll see. Rockstar has shown very little before launch, and 24 hours of gameplay on day one will spoil any surprise. If you want to go in clean, be careful on YouTube that week.
We'd watch whether the full creator lineup comes out and whether any of them stream in other languages.
In our view, it will be the most-watched stream of the year on the platform.
Certainty level: Analysis.
Sources: YouTube Blog: YouTube celebrates the launch and cultural impact of Grand Theft Auto VI · VGTimes: YouTube Goes Full GTA 6
The Leonida Hub desk
Full guide: GTA VI map: the State of Leonida and Vice City →
Sources YouTube Blog·VGTimes. Consulted on November 12, 2026.