How to Preload GTA 6 on PS5 and Xbox (Before Launch Night)

Preload is for pre-orders. A paid digital pre-order qualifies, and so does a code-in-box copy once you redeem the code. The game itself still goes live at midnight local time on Thursday, Nov. 19, on PS5.

The two start times

The two consoles don't open on the same clock. In Eastern Time an Xbox owner starts five hours before a PS5 owner. In Pacific Time the gap is eight hours.

Take-Two's June pre-order announcement listed a digital preload date of Nov. 12. That date has been replaced for digital pre-orders. Nov. 12 is now only when boxed code copies are expected at retailers.

1. Check the pre-order is on the right account

On a PS5, sign in, select your avatar at the top of the screen, choose Order History, and confirm the GTAVI pre-order went through. PlayStation's checklist for a preload that won't start begins with being signed in to the account that placed the pre-order, so use that account on the console. In a shared household, that's the account of whoever bought the game.

You know this worked when the order shows as successful. If it doesn't, sort that out with PlayStation Support before anything else, since nothing below will start without it.

2. Clear the space

PlayStation's support page tells you to have 212 GB available. Rockstar's wording is up to 212 GB depending on the device. Do this part days ahead, not on Nov. 9, because deleting and moving games takes longer than it looks. The storage guide walks through it for both consoles.

3. Update the console

On a PS5, go to Settings > System > System Software > System Software Update and Settings and turn on Download Update Files Automatically and Install Update Files Automatically. PlayStation lists "system software is up to date" among the checks for a preload that won't start, so this is cheaper to do now than at 12:01 AM.

On an Xbox, go to Profile & system > Settings > System > Updates and turn on Keep my games & apps up to date.

4. PS5: switch on auto-download and Rest Mode

Three settings have to line up on a PS5, and PlayStation wants them set before the preload starts.

First, auto-download. From your games home, go to Game Library > Your Collection and pick your GTAVI pre-order. A timer counts down to the game's release. Select the timer and make sure the checkbox next to GTAVI is ticked.

Second, internet during Rest Mode. After you buy, the PS5 may ask whether it should stay connected to the internet in Rest Mode, and Yes is the answer you want. To set it later, go to Settings > System > Power Saving > Features Available in Rest Mode and turn on Stay Connected to the Internet.

Third, put the console to sleep on purpose. Open the control center and choose Power > Enter Rest Mode before the window opens. PlayStation's steps assume a console in Rest Mode with the internet connection kept on, so that's the setup to copy.

If other people use your PS5, check one more setting. Go to Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play and select Enable, so the other accounts on the console can play the game too.

5. Xbox: Sleep mode and automatic updates

Microsoft's support pages tie automatic installs on a home console to two settings together. Go to Profile & system > Settings > General > Power options and set the power mode to Sleep. Or leave the console powered on. Then make sure Keep my games & apps up to date (step 3) is on.

Rockstar's Pre-Load FAQ lists two requirements for Xbox: automatic updates on, and the console powered on or in Sleep mode. Those are the two settings above. Use the same Microsoft account that bought the game.

Xbox charges the payment method on a pre-order about 10 days before release, around Nov. 9, and cancels the order if the charge fails twice, so check your payment method before Nov. 9.

6. Code-in-box copies

A retail copy of Grand Theft Auto VI has no disc. The box holds a download code, and retailers are expected to have it from Nov. 12. On a PS5, sign in, select your avatar at the top of the screen, choose Redeem Code and enter the code. Xbox: redeem the code in the Microsoft Store. If the code is missing or unreadable, PlayStation tells you to go back to the store that sold it. After that, the game follows the same preload path as a digital pre-order, so steps 2 through 4 still apply.

Ultimate Edition doesn't come in a box. Box owners who want Ultimate buy an upgrade on the console's store afterward, which the editions guide covers.

7. When the window opens, check it started

On a PS5, go to Game Library, pick your pre-ordered game, select the countdown timer and look for a download in progress. If it hasn't begun, choose the download option to start it by hand.

If GTAVI appears in Downloads/Uploads but isn't moving, open it from the control center, choose the GTAVI download, then Pause and Resume. Still nothing? Select the download again, choose Cancel and Delete, go back to Game Library, pick GTAVI and turn auto-download on again. After that, the remaining checks are the account you're signed in on, the internet connection, free space and the system software.

You'll know it worked when the bar is moving and the percentage goes up. A download can still stall later, so look at it again on Nov. 17 or 18, while there's time to fix it.

Do all of that, and the Nov. 19 version of the opening scene is a TV sitting on a finished install with a countdown to midnight. Nothing left to do but wait for the clock.