What time does GTA 6 unlock in the US?
GTA 6 uses one United States and Canada store timestamp. In the US, that means 12:00 a.m. ET on Thursday, November 19, 2026; 11:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday, November 18, 2026; 10:00 p.m. MT on Wednesday, November 18, 2026; 9:00 p.m. PT on Wednesday, November 18, 2026; 8:00 p.m. AKT on Wednesday, November 18, 2026; 7:00 p.m. HT on Wednesday, November 18, 2026.
The US store uses one Eastern-time timestamp, so Central, Mountain, Pacific, Alaska and Hawaii all unlock earlier on their local clocks on Wednesday, November 18.
| Zone | Local unlock time |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Why the US has more than one local unlock time
This store region uses one published timestamp across several time zones. The same instant lands on a different local clock in each zone: earlier on November 18 west of the anchor, later on November 19 east of it. A different account region will use that region's published instant instead.
GTA 6 preload times in the US
PS5 preload follows your local clock: it opens at 12:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 10, 2026. Xbox preload is one global moment: 12:00 a.m. GMT on November 10, 2026, which is the evening of November 9 in the Americas.
| Zone | PS5 preload (local midnight) | 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 |
| Central Time (CT) | Tue, Nov 10 at 12:00 a.m. CT | Mon, Nov 9 at 6:00 p.m. CT |
| Mountain Time (MT) | Tue, Nov 10 at 12:00 a.m. MT | Mon, Nov 9 at 5:00 p.m. MT |
| Pacific Time (PT) | Tue, Nov 10 at 12:00 a.m. PT | Mon, Nov 9 at 4:00 p.m. PT |
| Alaska Time (AKT) | Tue, Nov 10 at 12:00 a.m. AKT | Mon, Nov 9 at 3:00 p.m. AKT |
| Hawaii Time (HT) | Tue, Nov 10 at 12:00 a.m. HT | Mon, Nov 9 at 2:00 p.m. HT |
What to check before launch
Clear at least 212 GB on PS5; Rockstar's general guidance is up to 212 GB depending on the device. The Standard Edition is $79.99 and the Ultimate Edition is $99.99 in the US. The physical version is a code-in-box release with no disc, expected at retailers from November 12. There is no PC version at launch.
Where these times come from
The unlock instant is the timestamp published by the console storefront for this store region. Rockstar's support page gives the general rule: midnight local time on November 19, 2026, in all regions for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Storefront timestamps used here: PlayStation Store timestamp, Xbox Store timestamp, Rockstar regional preload and release times.