Will GTA 6 Have a Midnight Release?

Tom Brady
Jul 10
2 min read

Chaotic crowd scene outside a GameStop store, with people climbing the walls and swarming a white car, humorously exaggerating the hype around a GTA 6 midnight release.

GTA 6 is arguably the most anticipated game of the decade — maybe ever. And with Rockstar confirming a 2025 launch, fans are already asking the big question:

Will GTA 6 have a midnight release?

Rockstar’s History Says: Probably Yes

Looking back at Rockstar’s release patterns with GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2, both titles featured midnight digital unlocks and early access pickups at major retailers like GameStop, Walmart, and Best Buy.

So there’s a strong chance GTA 6 will follow the same strategy:

Midnight digital unlock on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S

Midnight launches at retail stores (for physical copies)

Global rollout by region, usually unlocked at 12:00 AM local time

My take: Rockstar knows they’re sitting on a cultural earthquake. A midnight release won’t just sell copies — it’ll dominate the internet for 24 hours straight. Memes, streams, chaos… all of it. They want that spectacle.

What About Time Zones?

Digital preloads will likely unlock based on your local region, similar to GTA V and other Rockstar titles. That means:

Eastern time zones in the U.S. will get access first

Pacific time zones will have to wait until it hits midnight in their region

Some international players may access it before the U.S. if Rockstar opts for a global simultaneous unlock

Fun fact: With GTA V, players in New Zealand got to stream gameplay a full 17 hours before U.S. players — creating a wave of early leaks and spoilers.

Will Retail Stores Do Midnight Launches?

Many major retailers have dialed back midnight launches post-2020 — but for a release this big, they might bring them back. Expect possible midnight pickups from:

GameStop (select locations)

Walmart Supercenters

Target (depending on store policy)

Independent game stores

My opinion: If Rockstar really wants to recreate the event-level energy of GTA V, they’ll coordinate with stores for big midnight hype drops. Think branded merch, livestreamed countdowns, TikTok content, and pre-order-only lines.

Will GTA 6 Unlock at Midnight on PC?

Right now, GTA 6 is confirmed for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S only — a PC version will likely come later, as Rockstar did with GTA V.

But when the PC version does arrive, expect it to launch via Rockstar Launcher, Steam, and/or Epic Games, with a likely midnight or 10 AM PST global release.