Review Embargo

Grand Theft Auto 6 reviews are reported to go live on Wednesday, Nov 18, 2026, the day before the game unlocks, after the insider NateTheHate said on Oct 26 that Rockstar had started sending review code to the press; Insider Gaming said it could verify the date, but Rockstar has not announced an embargo as of Nov 1, 2026.

Grand Theft Auto 6 reviews are reported to go live on Wednesday, Nov 18, 2026, one day before the game unlocks on Nov 19, but Rockstar has not announced a review embargo as of Nov 1, 2026. The date comes from the insider NateTheHate, who wrote on X on Oct 26, 2026 that "Rockstar Games have begun to distribute review code of Grand Theft Auto 6 to media outlets. Review embargo is November 18th." Insider Gaming said the same day that it could independently verify the report, and RockstarINTEL noted that it would give reviewers more than three weeks with the game. No outlet has said on the record that it holds a copy, and no hour has been reported reliably. When the game itself unlocks is on Release Time.

Quick facts

Review embargo	Nov 18, 2026, reported (NateTheHate, Oct 26, 2026); not announced by Rockstar as of Nov 1, 2026
Hour	Not reported reliably as of Nov 1, 2026
Review copies	Being sent to the press from late October 2026, reported
Release	Thursday, Nov 19, 2026, at midnight local time; New Zealand first, at 11:00 UTC on Nov 18
Previews so far	Hands-off: in August 2026 Rockstar played the game for the press
Grand Theft Auto V	Reviews Sep 16, 2013, a day before its Sep 17 release; Metacritic 97 on PlayStation 3
Red Dead Redemption 2	Reviews Oct 25, 2018, a day before its Oct 26 release; Metacritic 97 on PlayStation 4
Grand Theft Auto IV	Metacritic 98 on PlayStation 3

When do GTA 6 reviews come out?

On Nov 18, 2026, if the reports hold. NateTheHate, who has reported Rockstar dates correctly before, posted the embargo date together with the news that review code was going out, and Insider Gaming backed it. Rockstar and its owner Take-Two have said nothing about reviews: neither the Rockstar Newswire nor rockstargames.com/VI mentions them as of Nov 1, 2026. Until Rockstar or a reviewing outlet confirms it, Nov 18 is a report, not an announcement.

A Nov 18 embargo would put the first reviews only hours before the first players. New Zealand unlocks at 11:00 UTC on Nov 18, which is 6 a.m. Eastern on the US East Coast, so even a morning embargo would land at about the time players in New Zealand can start. Everyone else, the United States included, would have reviews for most of a day before their own midnight.

What time do GTA 6 reviews go live?

No reliable hour has been reported as of Nov 1, 2026. Reviews of big releases usually go live at a round hour in the publisher's chosen time zone, and some sites have suggested early morning Eastern time, but none of that comes from Rockstar or from an outlet saying what its own embargo says. This page will add the hour when an outlet or Rockstar names it.

Have reviewers got GTA 6 early?

Reportedly yes, from late October 2026, which would give them three to four weeks with a game Rockstar describes as its biggest. Before that, nobody outside Rockstar had played it on the record: the August 2026 previews from IGN, Game Informer, TGG and others were hands-off, with Rockstar North's Rob Nelson at the controller, and Edge's cover story of Oct 29, 2026 was written from 90 minutes of watching him play. What those previews found is on An Extended Look and Beginner's Guide.

How did earlier Rockstar games review?

Rockstar has let reviews out a day before release for its last two big games. IGN's Grand Theft Auto V review went up on Sep 16, 2013, a day before the game came out on Sep 17, and its Red Dead Redemption 2 review on Oct 25, 2018, a day before its Oct 26 release; both scored 10. On Metacritic, Grand Theft Auto V holds 97 from 58 critics on PlayStation 3, Red Dead Redemption 2 97 from 109 critics on PlayStation 4, and Grand Theft Auto IV 98 from 86 critics on PlayStation 3 (read Nov 1, 2026). A Nov 18 embargo for Grand Theft Auto 6 would follow the same pattern.

Will GTA 6 reviews spoil the story?

Reviews usually keep to what a publisher allows, and Rockstar has not said what it allows. The bigger risk before launch is leaked footage: an account called CyberLeek posted 25 minutes of gameplay and story scenes on Oct 8, 2026 and said on Oct 14 that its leaks had stopped; see Leaks. Readers who want to avoid the story can read a review's verdict and score and skip the rest.

Frequently asked questions

When is the GTA 6 review embargo? Grand Theft Auto 6 reviews are reported to go live on Nov 18, 2026, the day before release, according to the insider NateTheHate (Oct 26, 2026) and Insider Gaming; Rockstar has not announced an embargo as of Nov 1, 2026.

What time do GTA 6 reviews come out? No reliable hour for the Grand Theft Auto 6 review embargo has been reported as of Nov 1, 2026; only the date, Nov 18, 2026, has been reported.

Are there any GTA 6 reviews yet? No. No review of Grand Theft Auto 6 has been published as of Nov 1, 2026; the press previews of August 2026 were hands-off, with Rockstar playing.

Have reviewers received GTA 6 early? Reportedly yes: NateTheHate said on Oct 26, 2026 that Rockstar had begun sending Grand Theft Auto 6 review code to media outlets, which would give them more than three weeks before release; no outlet has confirmed holding a copy.

Will GTA 6 reviews come out before release? If the reported Nov 18, 2026 embargo holds, Grand Theft Auto 6 reviews arrive the day before the Nov 19 release, as Grand Theft Auto V's did on Sep 16, 2013 and Red Dead Redemption 2's on Oct 25, 2018.

What Metacritic score did GTA 5 get? Grand Theft Auto V holds 97 on Metacritic from 58 critics on PlayStation 3, Red Dead Redemption 2 holds 97 on PlayStation 4 and Grand Theft Auto IV 98 on PlayStation 3, the bar Grand Theft Auto 6 will be measured against.