GTA 6: The New Zealand Trick Could Let Xbox Players Play Early

As November 19, 2026 approaches, players are looking for every possible way to gain a few extra hours with GTA 6. The famous New Zealand time zone trick is circulating again among the community. By changing your console region, you could theoretically start playing ahead of everyone else. Xbox users hold the upper hand here. Thanks to how Microsoft handles region settings on its hardware, switching your profile to New Zealand allows games to unlock at local midnight. That could grant players a head start of up to 12 hours depending on their actual location. PlayStation owners will likely miss out on this shortcut. Sony strictly ties game unlocks to the region where your PSN account was originally created. A simple tweak in your system settings won't allow you to skip the queue on launch day. It remains to be seen whether Rockstar Games and Take-Two will enforce a rolling regional midnight launch or a synchronized global unlock time. Until official details drop, Xbox players are keeping their settings ready.