GTA 6 Release Time Europe — UK, Germany, France & More

GTA 6 comes out on Thursday 19 November 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and in Europe it arrives in three waves an hour apart. Greece, Finland, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine unlock first at 12am EET. Germany, France, Spain, Italy and most of the continent follow at 12am CET. The UK, Ireland, Portugal and Iceland unlock last at 12am GMT. Pick your city in the countdown above to see your exact time.

On 3 November, Rockstar's support team confirmed the game releases at midnight local time in all regions on both consoles. Each country's PlayStation Store then sets one release moment for the whole country, timed to midnight in its main time zone.

The three European release waves

Seen from London, the launch rolls in from the east:

• 10pm GMT on Wednesday 18 November: the Eastern European Time group, including Greece, Cyprus, Finland, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine. Israel and South Africa share this release moment.
• 11pm GMT on Wednesday: the Central European Time group, including Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Malta, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
• Midnight GMT on Thursday 19 November: the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal and Iceland.

Turkey sits outside these waves. Its store is grouped with Saudi Arabia at midnight Turkey time (UTC+3), which is 9pm GMT on Wednesday, so Istanbul gets GTA 6 before anywhere else in Europe.

United Kingdom and Ireland

GTA 6 unlocks at 12am GMT on Thursday 19 November in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and at the same moment in Dublin, Cork and the rest of Ireland. The UK went back to GMT on 25 October, so there's no British Summer Time offset to worry about. Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man use the UK store, so they unlock at the same time.

Players in the UK and Ireland get GTA 6 five hours before the US East Coast, but an hour after Paris and Berlin.

Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the rest of Central Europe

Across the Central European Time group, GTA 6 unlocks at 12am CET on Thursday 19 November, which is 11pm on Wednesday in the UK. That covers Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, Paris, Lyon, Madrid, Barcelona, Rome, Milan, Amsterdam, Brussels, Zurich, Vienna, Warsaw, Prague, Budapest, Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm.

The Canary Islands are the exception to watch. They use the Spanish store but sit an hour behind Madrid, so Las Palmas and Tenerife get in at 11pm on Wednesday. Portugal works the other way round: the Azores are an hour behind Lisbon, so Ponta Delgada unlocks at 11pm on Wednesday, while Madeira unlocks at midnight with the mainland.

Greece, Finland, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Ukraine

These countries unlock at 12am EET on Thursday 19 November. That's an hour before Berlin and two hours before London, so Athens, Helsinki, Bucharest, Sofia, Nicosia and Kyiv are the first big European cities to start. Åland uses the Finnish store and unlocks with Helsinki.

Countries without a published unlock time

Rockstar's rule covers every region, but we haven't found a published release moment for several European markets, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo and Moldova. We haven't found a release time for Russia or Belarus either. For these places the countdown shows "awaiting confirmation" instead of guessing.

The answer for you depends on the store your account belongs to. Many players in these countries use an account from a neighbouring market, and the game unlocks on that store's time. Once you've pre-ordered, the countdown on your console's game page is the one to trust.

Are PS5 and Xbox the same?

Rockstar says both consoles release at midnight local time. The exact times on this page come from regional PlayStation Store listings. Microsoft doesn't publish an unlock moment for each country, so the Xbox column is our estimate that it will match. Pre-loading is the one place the two consoles were clearly different.

Pre-loading in Europe

Pre-loading opened on 10 November. On PS5 it started at midnight local time. On Xbox it started at one moment worldwide, 12am GMT, which was 1am CET and 2am EET. Rockstar says you'll need up to 212GB of free space depending on your console. If you're short on space, our GTA 6 download size guide shows what to clear, and our worldwide pre-load times list every region.

Boxed copies are download codes

Rockstar says the physical versions are code-in-box editions, available from retailers from 12 November. There's no disc, so a boxed copy has to download the full game and unlocks at the same moment as a digital one. If you're picking up a copy on launch day, bear in mind that 212GB can take hours. Our guide to GTA 6 download times by internet speed gives a realistic estimate.

Can you play earlier from Europe?

New Zealand unlocks first, at 11am GMT on Wednesday 18 November, which is lunchtime in Central Europe. Some Xbox players plan to switch their console region to New Zealand. On PS5 you'd need a separate New Zealand account and a copy bought from that store. Rockstar doesn't support either method. Our guide to playing GTA 6 early explains what works and what doesn't.

Launch-night checks

• Your account's store decides your time. A UK account living in Spain unlocks on UK time, an hour after the Spanish store.
• Be online when the clock runs down. The console checks your licence with PlayStation Network or Xbox network the first time you play.
• Let any launch update finish before you try to start the game.
• If it still says it's locked, restore your licences on PS5 (Settings, Users and Accounts, Other, Restore Licences), or restart your Xbox while signed in to the account that bought the game.
• Don't change your console clock. It won't unlock anything.

Europe FAQ

What time does GTA 6 come out in the UK? 12am GMT on Thursday 19 November 2026.

What time does GTA 6 come out in Germany? 12am CET on Thursday 19 November, which is 11pm on Wednesday in the UK.

What time does GTA 6 release in Spain? Midnight in Madrid and Barcelona, and 11pm on Wednesday in the Canary Islands.

Does Europe get GTA 6 before the US? Yes. London unlocks five hours before New York, and Central Europe six hours before.

Which European country gets GTA 6 first? Turkey, at midnight Turkey time (9pm GMT on Wednesday). Greece, Finland, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Ukraine follow an hour later.

Is the release time confirmed? The midnight-local rule is confirmed by Rockstar. The exact country times come from store listings and could still change, and we'll update this page if they do.

GTA 6 release times in other regions

• Australia: every state and city
• North America: USA, Canada and Mexico
• Europe: UK, Germany, France and more
• Asia: India, Japan, Singapore and more
• South America: Brazil, Argentina and more
• Africa and Oceania: New Zealand, South Africa and more

When you're in, our GTA 6 Story Guide will add mission walkthroughs as we play and check each one.

Sources

1. Rockstar Support: Grand Theft Auto VI regional pre-load and release times on PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X|S (updated November 3, 2026)
2. Rockstar Newswire: Grand Theft Auto VI Pre-Load Begins on November 10 (November 3, 2026)
3. GTA BOOM: regional PlayStation Store release timestamps for GTA 6 (updated September 8, 2026)