If you pre-ordered Grand Theft Auto VI digitally, you can start downloading it now. Sony says the game is “the most pre-ordered game in the history of PlayStation Store,” and that it worked with Rockstar to open pre-loading nine days early because of the demand. The game unlocks Nov. 19.
That’s earlier than the Nov. 12 date reported when we worked out the download times, which is good news if your internet is slow.
When it opened in Canada
- Xbox Series X|S: worldwide at midnight GMT, which was 7 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, Nov. 9, iPhone in Canada notes.
- PS5 and PS5 Pro: midnight local time on Nov. 10.
Rockstar says you need up to 212 GB free, depending on the platform. That’s about 9 hours and 25 minutes at 50 Mbps, or 4 hours and 42 minutes at 100 Mbps, before any slowdowns.
How to start it
- PS5: open your Game Library, find GTA VI under pre-orders, and turn on automatic downloads, or start the download from the game’s PlayStation Store page.
- Xbox Series X|S: open the Microsoft Store, search for GTA VI, and select Install.
- Boxed copies: in Canada the box holds a download code, not a disc. Retail editions are expected from Nov. 12, so you can’t pre-load until you have the code.
What it costs here
| Edition | PlayStation Store Canada | Xbox Store Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $109.99 | $109.99 |
| Ultimate | $139.99 | $139.99 |
Prices from each store’s Canadian page on Nov. 10, before tax. Buying digitally on PlayStation by Nov. 19 also gets you a month of GTA+ and the Vintage Vice City Pack.
No Series X? There’s another way in
You’ll also be able to play GTA 6 through Xbox Cloud Gaming on consoles, including the older Xbox One, Engadget reports. Rockstar says streaming will run at Xbox Series S graphics settings. On PS5 and PS5 Pro, Rockstar says it’s targeting 30 frames per second; the Pro adds ray-traced shadows and Sony’s PSSR upscaling.
Why it’s worth your time: A 212 GB download is the real launch-day hurdle for a lot of Canadians. Start it tonight, plug the console into your router if you can, and you’ll have nine days of buffer instead of a progress bar on Nov. 19.