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GTA 6 Preload Is Open Now on PS5 and Xbox

By , Tech Cheat Codes Team

Published 5 min read

Illustration: a living-room TV showing a generic neon dusk skyline with a download bar labeled Downloading, a controller on the stand, and a lamp in warm morning light.
Illustration: Tech Cheat Codes
On this page · 3 sections
  1. Start the download on PS5
  2. On Xbox, the window already opened Monday night
  3. References

The Grand Theft Auto VI file is available to download this morning, if the pre-order already went through. On a PlayStation 5, preload opened at midnight local time on Tuesday, Nov. 10. On Xbox Series X|S it opened earlier: 12:00 AM GMT on Nov. 10, which was 7:00 PM ET (4:00 PM PT) on Monday, Nov. 9. The game itself still waits until Thursday, Nov. 19. On PS5, that launch is midnight local time. What you can do today is get the file onto the console so launch night isn't a 212 GB wait.

That number is the one to plan around. PlayStation's support page for the game asks you to have 212 GB free, and its preload post calls 212 GB a minimum on PS5. Rockstar's wording is up to 212 GB, depending on the device. Leave a little extra either way. Games get patched after launch, and patches need room to unpack.

Check the free space before you poke at the download. On a PS5, go to the home screen and open Settings > Storage. Delete games you're done with, or move them to an expanded SSD or a USB drive if you already use one. PlayStation's preload post also points people to ways to extend PS5 storage ahead of the game. On Xbox, open the console's storage settings and do the same tidy-up: confirm how much room you actually have, delete or move titles you don't need, and park keepers on external or expansion storage. If you want the longer walkthrough, our guide to freeing up to 212 GB on PS5 and Xbox covers those menu paths in detail. A shortfall now is worse than it looks, because a preload that stalls at two percent is just a late download with a countdown on top of it.

Standard Edition is $79.99 (price as of ; official source). A paid digital pre-order on the PlayStation Store or Microsoft Store is what qualifies for this window. The cardboard box at retail is a different clock. Physical (code-in-box) copies are expected at retailers starting Thursday, Nov. 12, and the box holds a download code, not a disc. Once you redeem that code on the account that will play the game, the console joins the same preload. Until the code is in, the file doesn't start.

Start the download on PS5

Sign in to the account that placed the pre-order. PlayStation's checklist starts there, and it's the usual snag in a shared household. You can confirm the order from your avatar at the top of the screen, then Order History.

From your games home, go to Game Library > Your Collection, select the Grand Theft Auto VI pre-order, open the countdown timer, and leave the checkbox next to the game ticked so auto-download is on. Under Settings > System > Power Saving > Features Available in Rest Mode, turn on Stay Connected to the Internet. If the download hasn't started, select the timer and choose the option to download it by hand.

If the title shows up under Downloads/Uploads but sits there idle, pause it, then resume. Still stuck: cancel and delete that download entry, go back to Game Library, select the game, and turn auto-download on again. Confirm the console is actually online, that free space is still above 212 GB, and that system software is current (Settings > System > System Software > System Software Update and Settings, with automatic download and install turned on).

Rest Mode still helps if the file has hours left. Put the console to sleep from the control center (Power > Enter Rest Mode) with the internet setting left on, and it can keep pulling the game while the TV is off.

If you share the PS5, Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play should be Enabled so other profiles on that console can play the same copy after launch.

On Xbox, the window already opened Monday night

Xbox Series X|S used one global start: 12:00 AM GMT on Nov. 10, which was 7:00 PM ET and 4:00 PM PT on Monday, Nov. 9. If you pre-ordered, open your games library this morning and check that the download is running. If it has not started, start it from the game's tile, leave the console on or in its sleep/standby mode so the file can keep going, and make sure automatic game updates are allowed. Use the same Microsoft account that bought the game.

A slow or capped connection is the reason this week exists. From today to Nov. 19 you have nine days to pull a file that can be as large as 212 GB. Waiting until launch night with that still to download is how people miss midnight.

Gift buyers watching the Nov. 12 box date should plan for the same file. On a PS5, sign in, open Redeem Code from the avatar menu, and enter the code as soon as the box is in hand, on the account that will play the game. If the code is missing or unreadable, go back to the retailer. Then start the download the same way as a digital pre-order. The cardboard does not skip the 212 GB.

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References