With GTA6 scheduled for release on November 19, players in Korea appear set to jump into the game roughly 14 hours ahead of those in the US.
According to the digital PS5 version page on the Sony PlayStation Store, GTA6 will unlock sequentially by country and region rather than through a simultaneous global launch.
The game is structured to open at local midnight in each respective region. As a result, New Zealand will be the first place in the world to play. Gameplay in New Zealand begins at 11:00 UTC on November 18. Later at 13:00 UTC, the game unlocks second in Australia, including cities like Sydney and Melbourne.
Korea comes next. Korea and Japan belong to the third wave, unlocking at 15:00 UTC on November 18, which corresponds to midnight KST on November 19. This means players here can start playing significantly ahead of users in Western regions such as Europe and North America. Other regions will follow sequentially according to their time zones, with gameplay becoming available at 00:00 UTC on November 19 in the UK and 05:00 UTC in the US.
While Xbox has no regional locks, games are sometimes unlocked based on the console's set region, as seen previously with Forza Horizon 6. If Xbox follows the PlayStation Store schedule, devices set to New Zealand or Korea on Xbox may also be able to play GTA6 earlier than those in the US.
However, this timetable is not an official announcement from Rockstar Games or Sony. It was compiled directly from the timestamps listed on country-specific pages on the PlayStation Store. Consequently, the possibility that Rockstar or Sony might adjust the store release times prior to launch cannot be completely ruled out.
GTA6 originally teased a 2025 release alongside its reveal trailer in December 2023, but suffered two delays before finalizing its launch date for November 19, and recently showcased exclusive gameplay footage via Netflix. With this staggered regional unlock structure confirmed, Korean players could see their wait shortened by more than half a day compared to Western regions.
