How Long Will GTA 6 Take To Download? What To Expect Based On Your Internet Speed

It's officially the month of the release for "Grand Theft Auto 6," and more new details about the game are starting to be revealed. Developer Rockstar Games recently announced that the pre-load for "GTA 6" will now be available on November 10, which is two days earlier than when it was originally set. While there was no official reason given for the change in dates, it might have something to do with the total download size for the biggest game of the year.

According to leaks, likely from reviewers who are currently playing "GTA 6," the game has a file size of around 210 GB on both PlayStation and Xbox. That is an absolutely massive download, and while players will have a nine-day head start to get it installed, that still might feel like not enough time depending on your Internet speeds. So, you'll want to ensure you leave yourself enough of a head start to install "GTA 6" before November 19. To do that, the community has estimated how long it will take to download the complete file based on a wide variety of Internet speeds.

Every "GTA 6" player has a different Internet connection experience. Potential Internet speeds depend on a variety of factors, including location, available Internet providers, and the bandwidth traffic in and around your home. Still, players should have a decent idea of what their average Internet speeds are. If you don't, you can check by visiting an Internet speed test website.

However, even if you have top-of-the-line 1 GB per second (Gbps) Internet speeds, you still need to ensure you're using the right set-up to download "GTA 6" at that speed. Whether you're on PlayStation or Xbox, your download speed depends on other factors as well, such as having a wireless or wired connection, or your specific flavor of Internet. Downloading over Wi-Fi can especially slow your speeds, as you have to contend with other traffic that can potentially throttle your bandwidth. For the best speed possible, you want to use an ethernet cable that's plugged directly into your Wi-Fi modem or router. 

With all that said, the "GTA 6" community has estimated how long, on average, it will take to download the roughly 210 GB file size at several different Internet speeds. According to their work, you'll need this much time to download "GTA 6" at these specific checkpoints:

• 10 Mbps – 47 hours, 7 minutes

• 25 Mbps – 18 hours, 51 minutes

• 50 Mbps – 9 hours, 25 minutes

• 100 Mbps – 4 hours, 43 minutes

• 500 Mbps – 57 minutes

• 1 Gbps – 28 minutes

Doing some quick math, it will take around two days total to download the entirety of "GTA 6" if you maintain a roughly 10 Mbps Internet speed. To clarify, yes, that means leaving your console on for two days straight just to download a single game. You'll have to make sure your PlayStation or Xbox has the correct power-saving settings enabled to ensure the console doesn't go into rest mode.

Fortunately, even at the lowest speeds, you still have plenty of time to download "GTA 6" before its November 19 release date. Of course, you'll need to ensure you have any edition of the game pre-ordered so you can download the file as soon as you can.