Rockstar's latest and most anticipated title, Grand Theft Auto 6, is not even out yet, and it's already breaking the internet. November 19, 2026, is the date when the game finally drops, but pre-orders are already live, and gamers are already getting their hands on it.
One thing to note here is that GTA 6 is a very heavy game and too many downloads in one go are actually breaking the internet.
No Physical Discs, But Digital Downloads Flooding
GTA 6 is going all out without a physical disc for the very first time. Although it will be sold in stores, there will be no disc, just a code that you will have to redeem to download the digital copy.
Now this is putting a lot of pressure on the global broadband network, as the game is 212 GB, which is in no case a light file. Internet service providers have reported highest ever download stats ever and usage has highly surged. Virgin Media 02 a telecom operator reported a huge 51.6 per cent jump in its internet traffic, and total downloads were up by 73.3 per cent.
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This surge was so high that it broke a few records, like beating the peak traffic that was there on the eve of a major Arsenal Champions League football match.
Ireland faced a similar situation with its Internet Neutral Exchange reporting a 12.53 petabyte traffic jump, more than its usual 9.53 petabytes.
GTA 6 Hype is Real
The game has crossed the $1 billion mark with just the pre-orders itself. Something that took three days for GTA 5 to reach, that too after its full release.
The numbers on the pre-orders is also crazy, 9.69 million copies already sold, and PlayStation 5 has taken the lead here and has a 75 per cent share of the total copies sold, rest 25 per cent has gone to Xbox. Both console makers have said that this is the most highly pre-ordered game they have ever had on their platform.
ALSO READ: Sony's PlayStation 5 Has Crossed The 100 Million Milestone In Shipping: GTA 6 Hype Is Real
For now, only console gamers will be able to play the game, and PC gamers might have to wait for another year, which also means another internet breakdown for ISP's might be on the horizon, but the wait could be till early or mid 2027, if, of course, Rockstar doesn't go through another major technical hiccup.
As of now, all eyes are on November 19, 2026 as the whole industry waits to witness the new GTA 6. Just one last thing the game is 212 GB, so on a normal 10 Mbps download speed it might take more than 40 hours to download it so be ready for that.