GTA 6 will launch seven hours early in this country, Indian gamers will have to wait
Follow UsNew Zealand players are expected to be the first to play GTA 6 at midnight local time on November 19.
Indian gamers will reportedly get access at 12 AM IST on November 19.
Xbox players may use regional settings to play early, but PS5 users need a New Zealand PSN account and game copy.
GTA 6 is set to launch on November 19, 2026, but gamers around the world will not get access at the same time. Sony has revealed the PlayStation Store listings stating Rockstar Games is planning a staggered midnight rollout, giving players in New Zealand the earliest access to the highly anticipated game.
SurveyFor Indian gamers, that means New Zealand players can enter Vice City several hours before the game unlocks in India. The New Zealand Store listing currently points to a midnight launch on November 19, which translates to 11 AM UTC on November 18. India’s PlayStation Store lists the game for 12 AM IST on November 19, or 6:30 PM UTC on November 18.
New Zealand will get GTA 6 first
The current release schedule covers 63 PlayStation Store regions and is split across 15 different unlock windows. New Zealand is first in line, followed by Australia, Japan, South Korea and several Asian markets before the game reaches India.
Based on the current listings, New Zealand players will get access to the game at midnight local time on November 19, while Indian players will have to wait until midnight IST. This creates a gap of around seven and a half hours between the two countries.
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The rollout then continues across Europe and North America. The US PlayStation Store currently lists GTA 6 for midnight Eastern Time on November 19, while some regions in Mexico and Central America will receive it even later. The entire global rollout spans roughly 19 hours.
Can Indian gamers play GTA 6 early?
The staggered release can once again bring attention to the so-called New Zealand trick, particularly among Xbox players who have previously used regional settings to access games earlier.
On PS5, however, simply changing the console’s location will not be enough. PlayStation ties the release window to the region associated with the PSN account. Players who attempt to access the New Zealand version will need a separate New Zealand account and a copy of the game purchased through that region’s PlayStation Store.
However, Rockstar is yet to officially confirm the detailed regional launch schedule, so the timings can still change before release. But for now, New Zealand gamers will have the earliest access to GTA 6.
GTA 6 price in India
GTA 6 is currently listed at Rs 5,999 for the Standard Edition on the Indian PlayStation Store, while the Ultimate Edition costs Rs 7,499.
