GTA 6 fans lose it as game becomes available to download

In a strange twist, GTA VI is apparently available to download now, 11 months before release.

Rockstar Games isn’t due to release GTA VI until May 2026, but that hasn’t stopped fans from endless speculation and hype. It really does feel like the game is already larger than life.

Fans were excited earlier this week to see that GTA VI is now available to download, although I wouldn’t get too excited.

GTA fans who play on Xbox Series X/S are able to download the game to their consoles from the Microsoft Store. You can do this either via the web or the store on the console.

Judging from the fact that the download is only 328.76mb in size, as well as the fact that the game is still 11 months away, this doesn’t mean you can play an early version of the game.

I mean, it’s not even available for pre-order, so there’s no chance of Rockstar releasing an early beta for you to play.

Attempting to play the game greets you with the cover art for a brief moment, before it closes and boots you back to the Xbox dashboard.

GTA 6 placeholder pre-load is 328.76mb in size.

Attempting to launch the game only shows the game's artwork for a brief moment before closing. pic.twitter.com/N2KfvCAyFm

— Grand Theft Auto 6 Alerts (@GTA6Alerts) June 25, 2025

What this download really does is install the preliminary files that will allow GTA VI to pre-load when the game eventually launches. If you have this on your console, the game will pre-install itself in the days before release.

It’s nothing you really need to worry about until you get closer to launch, so I wouldn’t bother downloading this until it gets a little closer to launch.

At the end of the day, you’re just needlessly taking up a little extra space on your console SSD. If you don’t have a lot of available storage, it’s not worth it.

GTA VI will release on Xbox Series X/S and PS5 on 26 May, 2026.