GTA 6 map and poster: free printable, $0.99 physical copy

GTA 6 will get a map of Leonida after all, but it won't come in the box. In an announcement published on November 3, Rockstar Games said it will add "an official printable Grand Theft Auto VI cover art poster and map of Leonida as a free digital download to the official site" on November 19, launch day, as quoted by GamesRadar+. According to Vandal, the poster uses the game's cover illustration and the map covers all of Leonida, the game's version of Florida.

If you'd rather not print it at home, there's another option. Rockstar said a double-sided physical version will arrive on the Rockstar Store shortly after launch, "for $0.99 on its own or as a free gift with any purchase from the Rockstar Store." Dexerto and MeriStation report the same price and terms.

No map in the code-in-box edition

Boxed Grand Theft Auto games have shipped with paper maps for a long time. GamesRadar+ points out that GTA 3, Vice City and San Andreas came with fold-out posters that had a map on one side and game art on the other. GTA 4 and GTA 5 included double-sided maps that showed their cities at two levels of detail. Vandal sees the printable map as Rockstar's way of keeping that tradition going.

This time, though, the map is sold separately. GTA 6's physical editions contain a download code instead of a disc, according to Vandal and MeriStation. MeriStation goes further and says the boxed edition won't have a map either, so buyers get only the code. GamesRadar+ notes that the code-in-box versions reach stores from November 12 and that Rockstar's announcement says nothing about a map in that package. Rockstar hasn't answered the question directly. Vandal says it asked the studio whether the physical edition includes the map and was still waiting for a reply. Dexerto adds that fans had hoped a boxed map would make up for the controversial no-disc decision.

GamesRadar+ suggests a workaround: wait until the physical map is listed on the Rockstar Store, then buy the code-in-box edition there and take the map as the free gift. The catch, according to the outlet, is that Rockstar sells the code-in-box version "while supplies last," so it may be sold out by then. GamesRadar+ also argues that calling the map a gift changes little, because you still have to buy something else to get it free.

According to Dexerto, interest in Leonida's layout has been high since September, when Rockstar's $400 Collector's Edition accidentally revealed new locations.

Pre-load moves to November 10, with up to 212GB needed

The same announcement also changed some launch details. Dexerto reports that Rockstar moved the pre-load from November 12 to November 10. Citing Rockstar's updated support page, Dexerto says PS5 owners can start downloading at midnight local time on November 10. On Xbox Series X|S, pre-loading opens worldwide at 12 AM GMT on November 10, which is 7 PM ET on November 9 in North America. MeriStation gives a single worldwide start for both consoles: 1:00 AM peninsular Spain time on Tuesday, November 10. That matches the Xbox GMT time, but it doesn't reflect the local-midnight PS5 timing that Dexerto describes. Our pre-load article covers the timing in more detail.

Rockstar also says the game needs up to 212GB of storage depending on the console, according to Dexerto and MeriStation. That's slightly more than the 210GB figure reported earlier, so it makes sense to free up space before November 10.

GTA 6 launches on November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Dexerto says regional store listings point to a midnight local release, which would put New Zealand about 18 hours ahead of North America. That gap is behind the time zone trick some players plan to use to start earlier, which we explain for Xbox and PS5.