The "New Zealand trick" for Grand Theft Auto VI is blowing up on X. On Xbox it's a console setting. On PS5 it's a whole second account and a second copy of the game. Here's how it works, the catches, and what Rockstar hasn't confirmed yet.
Grand Theft Auto VI launches November 19 on Xbox Series X|S, and players have figured out a way to start up to about 18 hours early. It’s called the New Zealand trick, and it’s trending on X today. The short version: digital store listings point to GTA VI unlocking at midnight local time in each region, and New Zealand hits midnight first.
The twist that matters for us: on Xbox, it’s a quick settings change on your own account. On PS5, it takes a brand new New Zealand PSN account and buying the game again.
One big caveat up top. Rockstar has not announced an official unlock time. Everything here is based on regional store listings, and a publisher can switch to one global unlock time whenever it wants.
What you need to know
- Launch date: November 19, 2026, per the official PlayStation Store listing.
- Why New Zealand: Regional store listings point to midnight local unlocks. Midnight on November 19 in New Zealand is 6:00 AM ET on Wednesday, November 18 (11:00 UTC), per ViceManual and a store-listing tracker at GTA6 Cheat Sheet.
- How early: The US PlayStation Store lists midnight Eastern on November 19 (5:00 AM UTC) for the whole country, so New Zealand is about 18 hours ahead of US players and 13 hours ahead of the UK, per ViceManual.
- Preload: Opens November 12, so the game can already be on your drive before the unlock.
- Not confirmed: Rockstar hasn’t said what time GTA VI unlocks. If it goes with one global launch time, the trick does nothing.
Trending on X: PS5 Players Use New Zealand Accounts for GTA VI Early Access
Xbox: the easy way
On Xbox you keep your own account and your own copy. The steps shared by ViceManual and Dexerto:
- Own GTA VI digitally and have it preloaded (preload opens November 12). If you bought a boxed copy, redeem the code before the 12th so it preloads.
- Before 6:00 AM ET on November 18, press the Xbox button and go to Profile & system > Settings > System > Language & location.
- Set Location to New Zealand and select Restart now.
- After the restart, launch GTA VI. Still locked? It’s not midnight in Auckland yet.
- Stay set to New Zealand until midnight has passed where you live. Switching back early can relock the game until your home release time.
- Then set Location back to your country and restart.
Two fine-print notes from ViceManual: while you’re switched, the Store shows New Zealand prices, so don’t buy anything. And the “once every three months” limit some guides mention applies to changing your Microsoft account’s country, not the console location setting. ViceManual also says it found no reports of bans for using the console location change.
PS5: the long way around
On PS5, changing the console’s settings doesn’t do anything. The unlock follows the country of the PSN account that owns the game, and PlayStation doesn’t let you change an account’s country. So PS5 players going for it are doing this, per a viral step-by-step post from Synth Potato and Dexerto:
- Make a separate New Zealand PSN account.
- Turn on Console Sharing and Offline Play for it (Settings > Users and Accounts > Other > Console Sharing and Offline Play).
- Buy a New Zealand PlayStation gift card online.
- Buy GTA VI again on the New Zealand account. ViceManual lists the NZ Standard price at NZ$139.95.
That means paying twice, or putting your only copy, trophies and saves on an account you’ll be stuck using for every add-on. ViceManual also notes Sony wants an account’s country to match your billing details. A VPN or changing the PS5 clock won’t help either; ViceManual says a wrong clock is actually a classic reason a preload won’t unlock.
The catches
- Rockstar can kill it. One global unlock time makes the trick useless. ViceManual points out Marvel’s Wolverine unlocked everywhere at once this year, and back in 2022 Infinity Ward warned Modern Warfare II region switchers they could get locked out until their own launch time.
- Spoilers are coming. If New Zealand unlocks first, early players will be posting story moments while most of the US is still at work on November 18. The big GTA VI fan account GTA 6 Countdown has already called for a global launch for exactly that reason.
- Online services: ViceManual notes Rockstar’s services may lag behind the New Zealand unlock.
If the New Zealand trick works, are you playing GTA 6 early?
Vote and see what other Xbox fans think.
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OnPoint’s take: Look at this. The biggest game of the generation is about to drop, and the cleanest way to play it early is on Xbox. Flip a setting, restart, play. No second account, no gift cards from another country, no buying the game twice. Meanwhile PS5 players are out here building a whole fake New Zealand identity just to get a head start. That’s the part people aren’t saying out loud: this isn’t an Xbox perk anyone at Microsoft had to announce. It’s just how the Xbox store has worked for years, and it treats your purchase like it’s actually yours.
Now, real talk. Rockstar hasn’t locked the unlock time, and it absolutely could flip this to a global launch any day, especially with the spoiler worries. So don’t plan your whole week around it yet. If you’re on Xbox, preload on the 12th, keep an eye on Rockstar’s announcement, and if the staggered unlock holds, you know what to do. And if you’re on PS5 and thinking about that second account… the door’s open. Join this side.
Image: Rockstar Games
Sources
- ViceManual: Play GTA 6 early, the New Zealand trick on Xbox and PS5
- Dexerto: How to play GTA 6 early on Xbox and PS5
- PlayStation Store (New Zealand): Grand Theft Auto VI
- GTA6 Cheat Sheet: store-listed unlock times by country
- Gadget Review: When GTA 6 unlocks around the world
- Synth Potato on X: PS5 New Zealand steps
- Pigeon on X: Xbox vs PS5 for the trick
- GTA 6 Countdown on X: call for a global launch
- X trending: PS5 players use New Zealand accounts for GTA VI
