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GTA 6 'available to download' nearly a year early but there's a massive catch

Rockstar''s Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming in May of next year, but Xbox preorder customers were stunned to see a downloadable file suddenly appear in their library already

[GTA 6 Trailer 2]

Lucia and Jason aren't ready just yet(Image: Rockstar)

GTA 6 is coming in May 2026, but fans just got the shock of a lifetime on Xbox as they were able to download some of the game.

While the two trailers we've received so far gave us plenty to look at, these fans expected that some kind of glitch may have opened the door to early access to the most anticipated game of all time.

Sadly, that's not the case here's what happened, and why it happened, and it's not because you can play the game right now, as much as we wish that was possible (let us in, Rockstar, let us in!).

GTA 6 'download' starts for fans on Xbox

Over on X (formerly Twitter), one GTA 6 news account posted that there's a GTA 6 placeholder file downloadable on Xbox.

This may have prompted some excitement that the game was about to get some kind of substantial download literally months before launch, but it was short-lived.

The file is only around 328mb in size, and opening it on the console just brings up the key art we know so well before booting players back.

"This is the closest to GTA 6 gameplay in 2025," one reply joked, while another said, "Let me relax coz why did I think for a second that was the actual game opening."

[This handout courtesy of Rockstar Games taken on December 4, 2023 shows a video grab of the trailer of "Grand Theft Auto 6" video game. The first trailer for "Grand Theft Auto VI" was officially released ahead of schedule December 4, 2023 due to a leak, touting a 2025 release for the next chapter of the massively successful video game franchise. (Photo by Rockstar Games / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / Rockstar Games" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS (Photo by -/Rockstar Games/AFP via Getty Images)]

We'll see Lucia and Jason in a year(Image: Rockstar Games/AFP via Getty Ima)

So, why the 328mb download?

Xbox has long been allowing players to download this kind of file, even if there's something coming up on Game Pass that they want to play.

It essentially tells Xbox's servers that you have access, essentially acting like a license key of sorts that then triggers the full download further down the line.

We'd expect GTA 6's full download to go live in the days before launch on May 26.

For more on GTA 6, check out some details you may have missed from the two trailers we have so far.

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