Thousands of UK Gamers Face Downloading GTA 6's Pre-load For Over a Week Due to Poor Internet Speeds

Source: IGN Facts: It’s hard to believe it, but we’re currently living in a pre-GTA 6 world for just a few more days. The most anticipated game of all time, and Rockstar’s first since 2018’s Red Dead Redemption 2, is expected to push the technical, immersion, and storytelling boundaries of gaming in ways that felt inconceivable while we played 2013’s Grand Theft Auto 5. One of the biggest changes since then has been the rise of digital gaming, and with Grand Theft Auto 6 coming in at up to 212GB, players have already been making liberal use of the pre-load functionality on PlayStation 5 and Xbox up to a week ahead of release. Now, though, a study by Broadband Genie has suggested that that might not be enough. UK Gamers Might Not Be Able to Pre-load GTA 6 in Time Broadband Genie assessed data from over 17,000 recent speed tests undertaken through its own comparison tool, and found that 870,000 UK gamers could be waiting the full week for the game to download. According to Broadband Genie’s calculations, a speed of 2.8Mbps or under will require a week of downloading, while a home reaching a download speed of 9.8Mbps will still take two days. The report ranks Newport as the worst-hit city for downloading Grand Theft Auto 6. Over a third of speed tests in the city (35%) dropped below 2.8Mbps, meaning a wait of more than a week, while 41% of Newport tests remained below the 9.8Mbps threshold. Given the bandwidth required, there’s a chance this would have a knock-on effect on internet usage beyond just the console, too, meaning working from home or streaming video would be hampered by the hefty download. Gamers in Ely (24%), Hereford (17%), and Bath (16%) also face two days of downloading, while 9% of gamers in Torquay and Bangor are expected to be waiting for a week or more. Alex Tofts, strate Intelligence analysts at GTA6OPS HQ have cross-referenced current platform directives, regional deployment schedules, and RAGE 9 engine telemetry to compile this comprehensive tactical report.

With global launch locked for November 19, 2026 at 00:00 UTC across PlayStation 5, PS5 Pro, and Xbox Series X|S, understanding how these developments affect storage allocation, storefront staging, and day-one gameplay readiness is essential for players entering the State of Leonida.