GTA 6 Launch Week Checklist: Every Date From November 9 to 20

Four dates in November matter if you are buying Grand Theft Auto VI at launch, and all four are official. This checklist puts them in order, says what each one means for you in practice, and lists what Rockstar still has not announced - with a way to prepare for each gap that does not depend on guessing.

Monday, November 9: Take-Two's second-quarter results

Take-Two reports results for its fiscal second quarter after the market closes on November 9, with a conference call at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. It is the last scheduled financial update before launch.

The baseline was set on August 7. Take-Two guided second-quarter net bookings to $1.62–1.67 billion and reiterated - did not raise - its full-year outlook of $8.0–8.2 billion, citing 'the November 19th launch of Grand Theft Auto VI.' On that call, according to Variety, Strauss Zelnick called pre-orders 'unprecedented and astonishing' but gave no figures. Two things are worth checking on November 9: whether the November 19 date is restated in the release, and whether the full-year outlook moves. Nothing on this call changes what you need to do as a player unless the date does.

Thursday, November 12: pre-load, and a box that holds a code

Rockstar confirmed on June 24 that digital pre-orders can pre-load from November 12. On the same day, it said the physical version, 'containing a download code inside the box, will be available starting November 12 to support pre-loading.'

Edition matters here too. Rockstar sells the Standard Edition as 'Digital or Code in Box'; the Ultimate Edition is digital only. Variety reported Rockstar's June 24 prices as $79.99 for Standard and $99.99 for Ultimate.

1. Check that your console's system software is up to date before November 12.
2. When pre-load opens, read the download size from the store listing or your download queue before anything else.
3. Compare it with your free space, and clear what you need to (see 'How to prepare anyway' below).
4. Start the download as early as you can, and leave the console able to download in rest mode.
5. If you bought the box, redeem the code the day you have it - the box itself does nothing until you do.

Rockstar has not announced what time pre-load opens on November 12.

Thursday, November 19: launch day

Rockstar's own wording is: 'Grand Theft Auto VI is a single player experience, coming November 19 to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.' The exact unlock time has not been announced.

Two other products arrive the same day and are easy to confuse with the game. GTA VI: The Album, a 34-track album with Atlantic Records, is out on November 19. So is 'The Goodtime State – Vice City Collection', a collector's box Rockstar announced on September 24 - and Rockstar is explicit that the game is sold separately. Do not buy the collector's box expecting a copy of GTA VI inside it.

Friday, November 20: the Vintage Vice City Pack cut-off

According to Rockstar's GTA VI site, the Vintage Vice City Pack comes with all pre-orders and purchases made before November 20. That wording covers launch-day purchases too, so buying on November 19 still qualifies. The pack contains:

• The '55 Vapid Stanier.
• The Shore Court personal garage near Ocean Beach, with a weapon locker and a stash for stolen goods.
• 1980s outfits and hairstyles for Jason and Lucia.
• A weapon pattern based on Tommy Vercetti's palm-tree shirt.

Still unannounced

How to prepare anyway

You do not need the file size to get ready. You need a plan for clearing space quickly once you know it.

1. Before November 12, make a list of what you would delete, largest first. Installed games can be downloaded again; check that their saves are backed up to the cloud before you remove anything.
2. On November 12, read the actual size from the store listing or download queue, then delete only as much as you need. Leave headroom - a launch patch may add to it.
3. If you play on an Xbox Series S, take storage more seriously than anyone. It has the smallest internal drive of the three launch consoles, so a large open-world install takes a bigger share of it. Extra space that can run Series X|S games has to come from a compatible Storage Expansion Card; standard USB drives can store those games but not run them.
4. On PS5, extra space for running games comes from a compatible M.2 SSD; USB drives are for storage only.
5. If you are buying the boxed version, budget the same time and bandwidth as a digital download.