GTA VI WILL UNLOCK FIRST IN NEW ZEALAND AND MILLIONS ARE PREPARING TO PLAY EARLY
A region by region release means New Zealand players will enter Leonida before anyone else.
GTA VI will not launch globally at the same moment. Instead, Rockstar is using a region based midnight release. This means the game unlocks in each country at local midnight rather than one worldwide time. As a result, there is a full nineteen hour gap between the first and last regions.
New Zealand is the first country that reaches midnight. GTA VI will unlock there at 11:00 UTC on November 18. The final regions, including parts of Central America, will unlock nineteen hours later at 06:00 UTC on November 19. This creates a significant early access window for anyone able to switch their console region.
HOW PLAYERS ARE PLANNING TO PLAY EARLY
On Xbox, players can change their console region to New Zealand. If the game is preloaded, it will unlock as soon as the New Zealand release time arrives. This method has worked for previous global releases and is already being discussed widely for GTA VI.
On PlayStation, the process is more complicated. A player would need a New Zealand PSN account and a valid New Zealand payment method. Without these, the early unlock cannot be accessed on PS5.
WHY THIS RELEASE METHOD MATTERS
A region based release creates a unique situation. Millions of players around the world are preparing to adjust their console settings or create new accounts in order to enter the game earlier. Social media communities are already organizing countdowns for the New Zealand unlock time.
This also means that gameplay clips, screenshots and story details will begin appearing online many hours before the game officially launches in most countries. Players who want to avoid spoilers will need to be careful once the New Zealand release hits.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
Are you planning to switch your console region to play GTA VI early? Do you think Rockstar should use a single global unlock time instead of a region based release?
Share your thoughts below.
The countdown begins. The world waits.
NEW ZEALAND UNLOCKS FIRST.
DISCUSS IT ON VICEHARBOR.
