GTA 6 Launch Delayed for U.S. Players Compared to Other Countries

Thanks to insights from a reliable source, we now have the exact timing for when you can dive into GTA 6 on November 19. If you’re in New Zealand, you’re in for a treat with a 19-hour head start compared to other regions! Instead of a single global launch time, Rockstar has chosen a rolling midnight release, which means spoilers will be circulating long before players in the U.S. can get their hands on it.

The most awaited game in history will kick off at midnight on November 19 in New Zealand, translating to 8 AM on November 18 in New York. This means there’s a full 16-hour gap between the initial launch in New Zealand and the U.S. release. The game will unlock for the entire United States at midnight EST, giving West Coast players a more manageable evening launch.

Australia will follow with its release at 10 AM EST, and then the game will continue to roll out globally, leaving the U.S. and Canada near the end of the line (with Mexico and Central America getting it an hour later). This means players in the UK will be posting gameplay footage a full five hours before Americans can join in.

My advice? Disconnect your ethernet and turn off your Wi-Fi on November 18, because the chaos online will be hard to escape. You might also want to consider some extra measures like wearing noise-canceling headphones, multiple eye masks under a blindfold, or even digging a hole in your backyard to hide out for the day.

But hey, Americans usually get the first dibs on everything else, so maybe it’s time to practice a little patience. It would be quite amusing to inform someone in power that France and Denmark are getting the game hours ahead, just to see how they react!