Grand Theft Auto 6 worldwide unlock times revealed, and Xbox owners can seemingly still use the old New Zealand trick to play early

Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S using a regional rollout system rather than a simultaneous worldwide release. PlayStation 5 features 15 different regional launch times, with unlock times varying based on the region associated with a player’s PlayStation Store account. The unlock times range from as early as 11am UTC on November 18 to later times on November 19, meaning some players could access the game nearly 24 hours before others.

The game will become available at midnight local time (12am) in each region. This means New Zealand will be the first territory to access GTA 6, aligned with New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT), giving players there an advantage over regions further west. The staggered regional approach has created an opportunity for early access through a workaround commonly known as the “New Zealand trick.”

The “New Zealand trick” involves changing console region settings to appear as though the player is located in New Zealand, allowing access to the game at the New Zealand launch time rather than waiting for their actual region. While Xbox Series X|S players can relatively easily change their console’s language and location settings to exploit this method, PlayStation 5 users face greater restrictions, as they cannot change their console region as readily. This creates a notable difference in early-access opportunities between the two platforms.

The specific regional unlock times were discovered by GTA fansite GTAVice.net through data found on the PlayStation Store, as Rockstar Games had not officially confirmed all details at the time of reporting.

Grand Theft Auto 6 worldwide unlock times revealed, and Xbox owners can seemingly still use the old New Zealand trick to play early

Sources