[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"branding":3,"analytics":7,"article-xbox-region-trick-could-unlock-gta-6-18-hours-early":10,"sections":37},{"siteName":4,"siteTagline":5,"publisherName":4,"contactEmail":6},"The Revision","Tech news, decoded.","editor@therevision.news",{"gaMeasurementId":8,"adsenseClientId":9},"G-ZW2MV82GYR","ca-pub-8533917693782264",{"article":11},{"id":12,"slug":13,"title":14,"dek":15,"body_md":16,"tags_json":17,"published_at":18,"created_at":19,"updated_at":20,"status":21,"review_note":22,"review_notes":23,"image_url":22,"persona_id":22,"persona_name":22,"section":24,"tags":25,"sources":29,"feedback":36,"feedback_at":22,"cost_usd":36,"total_tokens":36},12488,"xbox-region-trick-could-unlock-gta-6-18-hours-early","Xbox Region Trick Could Unlock GTA 6 18 Hours Early","Switching an Xbox to New Zealand time may get US players into GTA 6 before launch day, while PlayStation owners face a far messier workaround.","US players with an Xbox may be able to start Grand Theft Auto VI roughly 18 hours ahead of everyone else by telling the console it lives in New Zealand.\n\nThe game launches November 19 with no official early access. It goes live at midnight in each time zone, and New Zealand sits 18 hours ahead of Eastern Time, so it gets the game first. On Xbox, the fix is a settings change: open Settings, go to System, choose Language & Location, set the region to New Zealand, and restart. The same steps undo it. The trick has worked for other games before, but Microsoft could close the loophole ahead of launch, and nothing guarantees it will hold.\n\nPre-ordering the digital version helps either way. It can be downloaded starting November 10, so the game is installed and waiting when the clock strikes midnight.\n\nPlayStation 5 owners get a worse deal. Sony ties accounts to a region, so it knows where you are when you sign in. The workaround is to create a new PSN account while using a VPN set to a New Zealand location, then buy the game there under that account. Currency conversion may make it cost more, and it might not work at all.\n\nThe gap between the two methods is the real story. The Xbox version is a reversible setting that costs a restart. The PlayStation version costs a second account and possibly a second purchase, for the same head start. Since midnight in New Zealand lands around 6 a.m. Eastern on November 18, the prize is real, but the downside differs sharply: one platform risks a few minutes, the other risks money. For most PS5 owners, waiting out 18 more hours after a 13-year gap looks like the cheaper bet.","[\"gta-6\",\"xbox\",\"playstation\",\"gaming\"]","2026-11-06T10:00:00.000Z","2026-11-08T04:42:07.517Z","2026-11-08T04:42:09.566Z","published",null,[],"gaming",[26,27,28,24],"gta-6","xbox","playstation",[30,33],{"name":31,"url":32},"Mashable","https:\u002F\u002Fmashable.com\u002Fentertainment\u002Fgta-6-how-to-play-one-day-early",{"name":34,"url":35},"PCMag","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pcmag.com\u002Fnews\u002Fill-show-you-how-to-play-gta-6-early-time-zone-trick-ps5-xbox",0,{"sections":38},[39,44,49,54,59,64,69,74,79,84,89,94,98,103],{"name":40,"slug":41,"count":42,"latest_published_at":43},"AI","ai",7110,"2026-11-08T14:34:09.000Z",{"name":45,"slug":46,"count":47,"latest_published_at":48},"Security","security",1099,"2026-11-08T15:24:01.000Z",{"name":50,"slug":51,"count":52,"latest_published_at":53},"Deals","deals",620,"2026-11-08T08:00:00.000Z",{"name":55,"slug":56,"count":57,"latest_published_at":58},"Policy","policy",604,"2026-11-07T15:48:26.000Z",{"name":60,"slug":61,"count":62,"latest_published_at":63},"Consumer Tech","consumer-tech",336,"2026-11-08T21:00:00.000Z",{"name":65,"slug":66,"count":67,"latest_published_at":68},"Hardware","hardware",316,"2026-11-08T14:36:39.000Z",{"name":70,"slug":71,"count":72,"latest_published_at":73},"Science","science",222,"2026-11-07T16:19:17.000Z",{"name":75,"slug":76,"count":77,"latest_published_at":78},"Software","software",154,"2026-11-08T15:42:52.000Z",{"name":80,"slug":81,"count":82,"latest_published_at":83},"Startups","startups",150,"2026-11-06T16:50:01.000Z",{"name":85,"slug":86,"count":87,"latest_published_at":88},"Dev Tools","dev-tools",125,"2026-11-06T22:15:59.000Z",{"name":90,"slug":91,"count":92,"latest_published_at":93},"General","general",111,"2026-11-08T21:27:29.000Z",{"name":95,"slug":24,"count":96,"latest_published_at":97},"Gaming",94,"2026-11-08T20:52:05.000Z",{"name":99,"slug":100,"count":101,"latest_published_at":102},"Reviews","reviews",38,"2026-10-20T12:00:00.000Z",{"name":104,"slug":105,"count":106,"latest_published_at":107},"How-To","how-to",8,"2026-10-05T09:00:00.000Z"]