GTA 6 pre-load day checklist: storage, network and settings to sort before you hit download

Short version first. Pre-load is open. Clear about 260 GB, plug in a cable if you can, put the console in rest mode or sleep, and leave it alone. That is the whole job.

I'm Rolo. I do the hardware on this site. Here is the long version, in order.

Confirmed

• Pre-load opens today, November 10, for digital pre-orders on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. On PS5 it opens at midnight local time in your own time zone. On Xbox it opens at 12 a.m. GMT everywhere at once, which is 7 PM Eastern on Monday, November 9.
• It is not early access. The files stay locked until your region unlocks. Take-Two has said no edition plays early.
• The box has no disc. The physical Standard Edition reaches shops from Thursday, November 12, with a download code. You cannot start until it arrives.

Reported

The install size, more or less. Rockstar now says the pre-load needs up to 212 GB depending on your console. On October 27 a PlayStation Store tracker reported 210 GB for the PS5 version, which fits. That is the number I am planning around.

The checklist

1. Make room. About 260 GB. That covers the 212 GB plus a day-one patch. Usable space is about 667 GB on a launch PS5, 802 GB on a Series X and 364 GB on a 512 GB Series S. I wrote the two-minute storage check for this exact day.

2. Know how long it will take. At about 210 GB:

• 25 Mbps: 19 to 23 hours
• 50 Mbps: 10 to 12 hours
• 100 Mbps: 5 to 6 hours
• 200 Mbps: 2.5 to 3 hours
• 500 Mbps: about an hour
• 1 Gbps: 30 to 40 minutes

Expect it to be slower today. Millions of people are pressing the same button.

3. Wire it if you can. General advice: an Ethernet cable beats Wi-Fi every time, and a powerline adapter beats a weak Wi-Fi signal.

4. Let it run overnight.

• PS5: Settings, System, Power Saving, Features Available in Rest Mode. Turn on Stay Connected to the Internet. Make sure automatic downloads are on.
• Xbox: Settings, General, Power options. Use Sleep, not Shutdown.

5. Check it finished. General advice: look at the game in your library before you go to bed on the 18th. If it still shows a download bar, it is not done.

6. Know what pre-loading does to a refund. On PlayStation, the store's cancellation policy says starting a download, including a pre-load, ends your right to cancel a digital pre-order for a refund, unless the item is faulty. If you are on the fence, decide before you press download.

While it downloads

Pick your unlock time, set your TV up properly, sort your audio, and tick through the launch checklist. Nine days. You have time. Use it on the boring stuff now so launch night is just pressing start.