GTA 6 Review Embargo: When Do GTA 6 Reviews Come Out?

Has Rockstar announced the GTA 6 review embargo?

No. As of October 20, 2026, Rockstar has not said when reviews of Grand Theft Auto VI can be published, and it has not said when or how critics will get the game. Neither the official GTA VI page nor the Rockstar Store mentions reviews.

Metacritic already has a GTA VI page. It shows a Metascore of "tbd" and says critic reviews are not available yet, with the November 19, 2026 release date. That page is one place to check once outlets begin publishing reviews.

What has been reported about GTA 6 reviews?Unconfirmed

Two reports point in different directions. Neither is confirmed by Rockstar or Take-Two.

The October report is more recent and comes from an outlet that says it has seen the embargo date. The May claim is one person's statement, translated from Portuguese, with no confirmation since. Insider Gaming's October report does not say whether critics play at home or at an event. If you see a specific embargo date on social media, check whether it comes from Rockstar, a major outlet or Metacritic before trusting it.

When did GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 reviews come out?

For both of Rockstar's last two big launches, the review embargo lifted the day before the game came out.

UK site TheSixthAxis published its GTA V review on September 16, 2013. For Red Dead Redemption 2, Metacritic announced on October 16, 2018 that reviews would start going up on Thursday, October 25 at 4:01 a.m. Pacific.

If GTA VI follows the same pattern, reviews would appear on November 18, 2026. That is a pattern, not an announcement.

Where will the official GTA 6 review date appear?

Publishers rarely post embargo times themselves. In 2018 the Red Dead Redemption 2 time came out through Metacritic's own social account about nine days before reviews went live, and outlets repeated it. For GTA VI, the places to watch are:

• Metacritic's GTA VI page and its social accounts
• OpenCritic, which tracks the same reviews
• The big review outlets, which often say the night before when their review goes live
• The Rockstar Newswire, in case Rockstar makes an exception

We will update this page as soon as the embargo time is public, and add a link to a review roundup when scores are out.

Should you wait for reviews before buying?

That depends on your plans. If reviews follow the old pattern, they arrive about a day before launch and almost a week after pre-load opens on November 12. You can pre-order now and still read reviews before the game unlocks. Store refund rules differ by platform, so check yours before you pre-order.

For the dates around launch week, see the GTA 6 release date, GTA 6 unlock times by country, pre-load day on PS5 and Xbox and the GTA 6 launch day checklist. If you have not decided which version to buy, our pre-order guide covers the bonus deadline.

More guides

• GTA 6 Storage Guide: Free Space, PS5 SSDs, USB Drives and Xbox Expansion CardsTo play GTA 6 on PS5 it must sit on the internal SSD or a compatible M.2 SSD; on Xbox Series X|S, on the internal SSD or a Storage Expansion Card. USB drives can store it but cannot run it on either console. How much space you need is unknown: no store lists a GTA 6 file size as of October 20, 2026.
• GTA 6 Story and Missions: Everything Rockstar Has ShownRockstar has not published a GTA VI mission list. Here is the official story setup, who hands Jason and Lucia work, and the mission scenarios shown in the trailers and the Extended Look, with story details behind spoiler warnings.
• GTA 6 Trailer Locations and Their Possible Florida InspirationsRockstar’s trailers show fictional places that resemble parts of Miami, Miami Beach and the Florida Keys. Ocean Drive and the parallel Keys bridges are among the clearest comparisons. These are selected visual matches from official footage, not locations Rockstar has identified as real-world models. Each shot below has an approximate timestamp and a confidence rating.
• GTA 6 Trailer Songs: Official Credits and Reported TracksRockstar has credited one song for each GTA 6 trailer: "Love Is a Long Road" by Tom Petty in Trailer 1, "Hot Together" by The Pointer Sisters in Trailer 2 and "Flower in a Hurricane" by Justice in the Launch Trailer. The Extended Look has no official music credits; music outlets have identified about 14 tracks by ear, and those identifications remain unconfirmed by Rockstar.
• GTA 6 Trophies and Achievements: What We KnowRockstar has not published a trophy or achievement list for GTA VI. Here is what GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 asked of players, how early their lists surfaced before launch, and what that suggests for November 19.
• GTA 6 Upgrade from Standard to Ultimate Edition: Price and AvailabilityYes, you can upgrade GTA 6 from Standard to Ultimate with a separate add-on, the Ultimate Edition Upgrade. On Xbox it costs $20, £20, CA$30 or A$30 and can be pre-ordered now. On PS5 the add-on is listed but marked "Unavailable", with no price, as of October 20, 2026. Rockstar says you can buy it at any time.