Grand Theft Auto 6 worldwide unlock times revealed, and Xbox owners can seemingly still use the old New Zealand trick to play early
Grand Theft Auto 6 will feature staggered global release times based on PlayStation Store account regions, leading to a 19-hour window of availability. While PlayStation users are locked to their account region, Xbox users may still be able to bypass these restrictions by switching their console's system region.
Why it matters
As one of the most anticipated entertainment releases in history, the logistical rollout of GTA 6 highlights the complexities of digital distribution and regional pricing/access strategies.
Starting with PS5, GTA 6 has 15 different regional launch times. If you pre-ordered a digital copy through the PlayStation Store, the game's unlock time will be dictated by your account's region and store. In other words, it won't unlock for everyone at the same time.
GTA fansite GTAVice.net rifled through PlayStation Store data to uncover the full list of launch times across its 15 regions. The unlock times range between 11am UTC on 18th November at the earliest, to 6am UTC on 19th November - a 19-hour difference.
As is common with staggered releases, New Zealand goes first. GTA 6 becomes playable there at 12am NZDT on 19th November (midnight on 18th November). Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua are the last to gain access, where the game unlocks at 12am CST on 20th November (midnight on 19th November).
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