How to play ‘GTA 6’ a day before everyone else in the U.S.

GTA fans have waited 13 years for Grand Theft Auto VI. Finally, the next installment of the GTA series comes out on Nov. 19.

There’s no early access for GTA 6. You simply have to wait until the release date.

But what if you could play GTA 6 on Nov. 18? Or, more accurately, roughly 18 hours before everyone else in the U.S.? Well, there’s a way to do just that.

How to play GTA 6 a day early on Xbox

GTA 6 will have a global release date, dropping at midnight for each time zone. This means that New Zealand, which is 18 hours ahead of Eastern Time in the U.S., will get to play the long-awaited game before everyone else.

If you have an Xbox, there’s long been a not-so-secret trick on Xbox consoles that lets U.S.-based gamers access games a little bit before everyone else in the country. 

As our friends at PCMag point out, gamers can simply go to their Xbox dashboard and do the following:

1. Go to Settings

2. Scroll to System

3. Select Language & Location on the right-hand side

4. Change your region to New Zealand

5. Hit Restart Now to restart your console and save the settings

This has previously worked to access other games early, as it tricks the console into thinking it’s on New Zealand time. It’s possible that Microsoft switches things up and closes the loophole before the launch of GTA 6. But, as of now, unless anything changes, it should work.

This is a quick and easy process, and you’ll be able to change the settings back on your Xbox the same way.

Also, be sure to pre-order the digital version of GTA 6 as you’ll be able to download the game on Nov. 10. While it won’t be playable until the release, it’ll be ready to go on your console as soon as it does release without having to wait for the game to download and install then.

How to play GTA 6 a day early on PlayStation

PlayStation 5 users, unfortunately, don’t have it so simple. And there’s no guarantee that this will work either. So, before we go any further, know that it just might not be worth the time and effort.

PlayStation accounts are region-locked, so Sony knows exactly where you’re based when you’re signed into your account. 

If you want to attempt to access GTA 6 early on your PS5, create a new PSN account while using a VPN with a New Zealand-based location. From there, you’ll actually have to purchase the game under this new account in the New Zealand PlayStation Store. As PCMag points out, this might even cost more due to currency conversions.

And, again, there is no guarantee that this will work.

Worst case, you have to wait another 18 hours before you can play a game you’ve already waited 13 years for.

Want more tech and digital culture news delivered to your inbox daily or sent straight to your device? Sign up for Mashable’s Top Stories newsletter or get Mashable push alerts today.