NEW YORK: Daft Punk's Get Lucky was dominating the airwaves, Breaking Bad was airing its season finale, the UK was still in the European Union, and Donald Trump was only the host of Celebrity Apprentice.
It seems like a lifetime ago that we got the last game in the GTA series. Now, 13 years after GTA V was launched, the launch of GTA VI is less than two weeks away.
Fans should know that the sheer scale of the new game's open world comes with a 212GB download size. To make sure that the launch of the most anticipated gaming release of the decade is not met with an epic download time, the game's publisher, Rockstar, is letting fans pre-download the game.
For anyone who has pre-ordered the game, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S are unlocking the game for pre-download from Nov 10.
Rockstar says that pre-loading is the safest way to be ready to play on time on launch day, Nov 19. But to make sure everything goes smoothly, some console settings may still need to be changed.
Here is the most important information:
- The pre-download for the PlayStation 5 starts at midnight local time on Nov 10.
- For the Xbox Series X and Series S, it starts globally at 12am GMT.
- PlayStation 5 owners must have auto-downloads enabled, and the console must be switched on or in rest mode.
- Xbox users also need to have auto-downloads enabled, and the console must be switched on or in sleep mode.
Of course, at least 212GB of storage space must be free on the console's internal storage, as the download file can be that large, according to Rockstar. So it may be worth deleting a few games you no longer play beforehand.
If you ordered the code-in-a-box version of the game from an online store or physical shop, you'll still need to download the game using the printed download code. You can do this from Nov 12, according to Rockstar.
PC players will have to wait longer. Publisher Rockstar has not yet announced an official release date. Rumours suggest a PC version is due by mid-2027. Experience suggests it takes at least several months after the console launch. However, for GTA V, 19 months passed before the PC version was released.
For fans of box versions who do not want to wade into the sometimes very expensive special and collector's editions, there is good news.
From Nov 19, print-ready versions of the cover artwork and the game world map will be available as a free download on the Rockstar website. Shortly after the launch, physical versions of the map as a poster are also set to be available to order on the Rockstar Store for US$0.99 (RM4.01). – dpa
