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Launch day4 min read

GTA VI: the checklist to be ready on November 19

Three weeks to go. Between the November 12 preload, the code of a disc-less box, the bonuses that end on the 20th and the first session to prepare, here is the list of what to do, in order, with for each point the official page that says so.

By LeonidakitReviewed on

Leonidakit illustration: a list of checked boxes against a setting sun, in amber, coral and night
Leonidakit illustration

By November 12

Before November 12: decide and order

The choices that can’t change afterwards: the edition, the format, the console.

  1. Choose the edition

    Standard, the full game; Ultimate, the game plus sixteen extra items, digital only. The Ultimate upgrade can be bought later, once the game code has been used. Everything is on Editions.

  2. Choose box or digital

    The box contains a download code, with no disc, available from November 12 for delivery or pickup. It exists only for the Standard Edition, and Rockstar’s support doesn’t mention the month of GTA+ for this version.

  3. Order before November 20

    Any pre-order or digital purchase before November 20, 2026 gives the Vintage Vice City Pack and a month of GTA+. After that date, the bonuses disappear.

  4. Check the rating

    PEGI 18 in France, Mature 17+ in the United States, R18+ in Australia, CERO Z in Japan, according to the official stores. Useful if the console is shared and parental controls are on.

  • €79.99the Standard Edition, PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store France
  • €99.99the Ultimate Edition, digital
  • November 20, 2026end of the pre-order bonuses

Preloading

November 12: preload

Preloading starts on November 12, 2026 at midnight local time for digital pre-orders; the box code, received the same day, also lets you preload.

  • Free up space. Rockstar has not published the download size as of October 27, 2026. The preloading page lets you enter the size as soon as it is known, and works out the time based on your connection speed.
  • Activate the box code as soon as it arrives. According to Rockstar’s support, the code can be activated on receipt to preload, without waiting for the 19th.
  • Start the download overnight. On a slow connection, a game this size can take hours: the preloading page’s calculation gives you an estimate per connection speed.
  • Keep the console up to date. A system update the day before saves you from waiting on launch day.

November 18

The day before: prepare your first session

The game is installed, the Miami HEAT’s Vice City night is in full swing at the Kaseya Center: all that’s left is to prepare your session.

Ten boxes to check. An illustration clip: the ten points of the checklist get ticked one by one, from November 12 to 19, in Leonidakit’s colors.Leonidakit illustration clip, with no image from the game
  • Install the site as an app. Companion mode puts Leonidakit on your phone’s home screen, map included, and keeps your trackers even offline once opened.
  • Read the Tutorial. Fourteen chapters to understand the information statuses, the calculator’s tools and the map, in plain words: the Tutorial.
  • Prepare your first plan. Write your goal in My business plan and your first assumptions: you’ll correct them with your real numbers from the first session.
  • Pick your station. The six radio stations and their hosts are presented on Radio and music, with the 34-track album released the same day as the game.

Release time: the PlayStation Store shows midnight local time. The countdown on the home page follows that rule. If Rockstar announces a worldwide time, the site will take it up.

Launch day

November 19: the first three hours

  1. Write down the first numbers

    Reward of the first mission, price of the first purchase, duration of the first activity: three lines in a tracker, and your plan already has a real basis.

  2. Check off what you see

    The map and the pages have an “I have it” button: vehicles, weapons, places. Your progress stays in your browser and shows up in your trackers.

  3. Ask Léo your questions

    The site’s assistant answers in French, English, Spanish, Italian, German and Portuguese, with the status and source of every piece of information. It won’t know more than the site, and it will say so.

  4. Send a record

    An earning, a price, a money rule you saw in the game: the Contact page is made for that. Every sourced record helps all players.

Official poster: The launch trailer, October 15, 2026.Watch the video
The launch trailer, October 15, 2026. The last video published by Rockstar before release, set to a new single by Justice. The video’s page.

Official YouTube (Google) player, loaded only after your click: YouTube may then set its own cookies. Legal and privacy

And on November 20, the pre-order bonuses end. If you’ve been hesitating until then, it’s the last day for the Vintage Vice City Pack.

Questions

Questions people ask before launch day

When can you preload GTA VI?
On November 12, 2026 at midnight local time for digital pre-orders; the box code, available the same day, also lets you preload, according to Rockstar’s support.
How big is GTA VI?
Rockstar has not published it as of October 27, 2026. The preloading page will let you enter the size as soon as it is known and work out the time based on your connection speed.
What time does GTA VI release?
The PlayStation Store shows a release at midnight local time. Rockstar has not announced a worldwide time as of October 27, 2026.
Until when do you get the pre-order bonuses?
Until November 20, 2026 for a digital purchase of either edition: the Vintage Vice City Pack and a month of GTA+.
Can you use Leonidakit offline during the game?
Yes, with Companion mode: once the site is installed and the pages opened, the map and your trackers stay available.

The blog

Read next

Verify

The sources of this article

Every fact in the article points to a page you can open. The status says where the information comes from: Rockstar, a media outlet, or an identification by players.

  1. OfficialRockstar Support: Grand Theft Auto VI, platforms, editions and versionspublished 08/18/2026, accessed 10/27/2026

    The two editions, the sixteen Ultimate Edition items, the upgrade, the disc-free box, preloading at midnight on November 12, the bonuses before November 20 and the region rules.

  2. OfficialRockstar Support: activating the pre-order month of GTA+published 06/24/2026, accessed 10/16/2026

    A month of GTA+ for a digital purchase of the Standard or Ultimate Edition before November 20, 2026; to be activated before March 31, 2027 on PlayStation, or within 180 days of purchase on Xbox.

  3. OfficialRockstar Support: Grand Theft Auto VI pre-order detailsaccessed 10/20/2026

    The physical version contains a download code, no disc; the game will be offered in more countries as platform rules, local laws and age ratings allow.

  4. OfficialPlayStation France: Grand Theft Auto VIaccessed 10/27/2026

    Standard Edition €79.99 and Ultimate Edition €99.99; a month of GTA+ with a pre-order, before November 20, 2026.

  5. OfficialMicrosoft Store France: Grand Theft Auto VIaccessed 10/20/2026

    Standard Edition €79.99 and Ultimate Edition €99.99, as on the PlayStation Store; the upgrade from Standard to Ultimate for €20; PEGI 18 rating.

  6. OfficialPlayStation United States: Grand Theft Auto VIaccessed 10/21/2026

    Standard Edition $79.99 and Ultimate Edition $99.99; ESRB Mature 17+ rating: blood, intense violence, mature humor, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, drugs and alcohol.

  7. OfficialMicrosoft Store United States: Grand Theft Auto VIaccessed 10/21/2026

    Standard Edition $79.99 and Ultimate Edition $99.99, Ultimate upgrade $20; ESRB Mature 17+ rating.

  8. OfficialRockstar Newswire: GTA VI will be released on November 19, 2026published 11/06/2025, accessed 10/12/2026

    The release is set for Thursday, November 19, 2026, to finish the game to the desired level of polish.

  9. OfficialRockstar Newswire: the GTA VI launch trailerpublished 10/15/2026, accessed 10/16/2026

    The launch trailer plays over “Flower in a Hurricane”, Justice’s new single with Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, also on GTA VI: The Album; Justice is composing the game’s original score.

  10. Seen in mediaMiami HEAT: A Night in Vice Cityaccessed 10/20/2026

    Wednesday, November 18, 2026, at 7 p.m. New York time, against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Kaseya Center: “Vice City” court and jersey.

  11. OfficialRockstar Newswire: The Music of Grand Theft Auto VI: In-Game Radio Stationspublished 10/08/2026, accessed 10/12/2026

    Six stations presented with their hosts, on-demand podcasts, and a radio you can listen to in a car or on foot with Jason’s or Lucia’s phone and earbuds.

  12. OfficialRockstar Newswire: Announcing Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, Coming November 19published 09/17/2026, accessed 10/04/2026

    34 original tracks with Atlantic Records, out November 19, 2026, six tracks available; the game’s music, its dynamic score and “the next evolution of in-game radio” will be detailed later.

Text, illustrations and illustration clip: Leonidakit. Screenshots and artworks are official Rockstar Games images, credited on Media and credits.