How to Play GTA 6 Early on PS5 and Xbox? New Zealand Trick Explained

With most major 2026 releases now out, players are eagerly waiting to dive into GTA 6, arguably the year’s biggest game, launching November 19, 2026. However, you can play Grand Theft Auto 6 on November 18, one day before GTA 6’s release date, on both PS5 and Xbox Series X|S using the New Zealand trick. If you don’t know how that works, here’s how to play GTA 6 early before the Nov 19 release date on your preferred platform.

Steps to Play GTA 6 Early on PS5

To play GTA 6 one day early on PS5, 18 hours before the intended US release date, create a New Zealand PSN account and buy the game there. However, if you want to play GTA 6 early on your own PSN account instead of the New Zealand one, follow the steps below:

• Create a New Zealand PSN account using the “Add User” option
• Follow all the prompts that appear on your screen to create the account successfully

• Next, Head to Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play
• Enable Console Sharing and Online Play
• Purchase a New Zealand PSN gift card from any retailer

• Head to the PlayStation Store and buy GTA 6 on the New Zealand account
• Once GTA 6 preloads begin on November 12, download it from the New Zealand account
• Switch to your main PSN account
• Wait for the game to unlock on November 18

You can play GTA 6 on your primary PSN account when the clock strikes midnight in New Zealand, which could give you an 18-hour head start over players in the US. Just make sure you preload GTA 6’s 210 GB file size once you do this trick.

Creating a New Zealand PSN account and then purchasing the game may seem like a hassle, but it’s worth it to get a taste of GTA 6’s map before everyone else.

Unfortunately, PlayStation doesn’t let you change your existing PSN account’s region, so you cannot do that to play Rockstar’s upcoming game early. You might run into some issues with payment details or console sharing, but not everyone will face these problems.

But GTA 6’s PS5 exclusive features are tempting enough to make you want to play it a day early, not to mention the game’s impact itself. Meanwhile, you can change your region on Xbox Series X|S easily to play the game a day early.

Steps to Play GTA 6 Early on Xbox Series X|S

Playing GTA 6 early on Xbox Series X|S is much simpler than on PS5, as you don’t need to create a separate New Zealand account. But you need to secure your GTA 6 pre-order first. Here’s everything you need to do:

• Pre-load GTA 6 on your own Xbox account
• Head to Settings > System > Language & location > Location
• Change the location from your region to New Zealand
• Restart your Xbox Series X|S

Once you switch your Xbox account location to New Zealand, you’re all set. Wait for the clock to strike midnight in New Zealand, and you can jump into GTA 6 ahead of players in many other regions on November 18.

If you do not want to play GTA 6 early and just want to wait a few hours to step into Leonida with the rest of the world, check our GTA 6 countdown to see exactly when it unlocks in your region. That said, are you doing the New Zealand trick to play GTA 6 early on your platform? Tell us in the comments section below.

That said, will you use the New Zealand method to play GTA 6 one day early on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S? Tell us in the comments section below.