When Do GTA 6 Reviews Come Out? Leak Points to Nov 18, With Some Outlets Held to Launch Day

Rockstar hasn't announced a review date for GTA VI, but a leak reported by Notebookcheck says most reviews will go live on Wednesday, Nov 18, the day before the game launches on Nov 19.

What the leak says

Rumor, not confirmed. Notebookcheck reports that on Oct 23 a ResetEra member called BlackBate posted the following timetable:

• First wave, Nov 18: Metacritic scores start appearing around 12:01–1:01 PM CET, which Notebookcheck converts to roughly 6–7 AM Eastern.
• Second wave, launch day: some sites, and possibly YouTube channels, would have to wait until 6:01 AM CET on Nov 19, which is 12:01 AM Eastern, when the game unlocks.
• Review codes: when BlackBate posted on Oct 23, codes reportedly hadn't gone out yet. See the Oct 28 update below.
• No hands-on previews: BlackBate also expects there won't be hands-on previews before launch. Notebookcheck says creators so far have been invited to watch gameplay, not play it.

Notebookcheck describes BlackBate as not well known, with a track record since 2021 that includes early word on Microsoft Flight Simulator, Death Stranding, Pragmata and Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. It also tells readers to take the details "with a grain of salt."

Update (Oct 28): codes reportedly out, Nov 18 date backed by a second source

Rumor, not confirmed by Rockstar. On Oct 26, the leaker NateTheHate said on X that Rockstar had begun sending GTA 6 review code to media outlets, with a review embargo of Nov 18. Insider Gaming says it can "independently verify" the Nov 18 date and that review copies "allegedly" went out at the end of October. Notebookcheck reported the same claim on Oct 26. Neither source gives an embargo time, so the 6–7 AM ET window still rests on BlackBate alone. Rockstar and Take-Two haven't commented.

Why some outlets might wait

Nobody involved has said. Notebookcheck offers two theories of its own: Rockstar may want written reviews to set the critical consensus before spoiler-prone video reviews arrive, or it may simply be giving bigger publications priority. Treat both as speculation.

Does it fit Rockstar's history?

Notebookcheck notes that GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 reviews both appeared the day before launch. A Nov 18 embargo would follow that same pattern, but that's an inference, not confirmation.

What's confirmed

• Launch: GTA VI launches Nov 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S (Rockstar).
• Pre-load: digital pre-orders can pre-load from Nov 12 at local midnight. Physical boxes contain a download code, no disc, and also support Nov 12 pre-loading (Rockstar Support).

If the leak is right, reviews land about a week after pre-loading opens, so anyone waiting on scores before buying would still have a day before launch. We'll update this story if Rockstar, Take-Two or a reviewing outlet confirms the date.

Changelog

• 2026-10-28: Added the Oct 28 update (NateTheHate says codes are out; Insider Gaming independently verifies Nov 18; Notebookcheck). Updated the review-codes line and added two sources. The rumor label stays because Rockstar hasn't confirmed.