You'll be able to play GTA 6 early with a neat PS5 trick – here's how to get it working

GTA 6 – Jason and Lucia looking down through the camera lens — (Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Grand Theft Auto VI will finally be available this month – in just over two weeks. But you might have to wait a little longer than others to play it, depending on where you live.

That's because, while it launches globally on 19 November 2026, the world's timezones mean some countries will be able to access the game earlier than others. Up to 21 hours earlier, in fact.

Players in Aukland, New Zealand will be able to play it at midnight on launch day, but that's still just 11am 18 November in the UK, 3am on the West Coast of America. It could result in a flood of spoilers hitting social channels many hours before you even get a chance to boot it up.

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However, there is a workaround – if you own a PS5 or PS5 Pro and haven't pre-ordered the game already. You can buy it using a New Zealand PSN account and play it when it first becomes available there.

Renowned content creator SynthPotato has suggested a neat workaround for those who simply cannot wait. He's posted steps on his X feed, which involves creating a New Zealand PSN account, buying the game there, but also being able to play it using your own regional account afterwards.

To summarise:

Make a New Zealand PSN account.
Enable Console sharing and Offline Play in Other in the Users and Accounts settings.
Buy a New Zealand PSN gift card online.
Buy GTA 6 using the gift card on your NZ account.
Download the game the moment it comes out (or pre-download if possible).
Sign back into your usual profile.
Play the game when it's released in NZ hours before your own region. Hurrah!

Of course, this is only helpful if you haven't pre-ordered the game already or are willing to cancel your pre-order and start afresh. And it might affect how GTA Online works when that eventually arrives as part of the game, so you need to be aware of that.

Like we say though, if you really can't wait to play it on PS5, there's at least the option.

As for the Xbox Series X/S version, NotebookCheck reports that it's actually a little easier – just change your location to New Zealand in the console's location settings.

Personally, I'll be waiting until the game is unlocked in the UK, but can understand others' eagerness.

Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.

Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.