PSA: No, GTA 6 Is Not Playable on Xbox Just Yet

With Rockstar Games returning to radio silence following the release of GTA 6 trailer 2, fans have been starved of any updates on the highly anticipated title. So, imagine their elation when GTA 6’s official listing mysteriously went live on the Xbox Store and allowed players to ‘download’ the game. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean that you can actually play the game, contrary to what misleading posts and screenshots on X will have you believe.

The delirium kicked off after GTA 6 finally popped up on the Xbox Store. For context, the upcoming title has been available to wishlist on the PlayStation Store for months, while being entirely absent from its green counterpart. But it was only this week that Xbox added the option to wishlist GTA 6.

The freshly minted Xbox listing came with an option to download and pre-load the game, which added its icon to the dashboard. However, selecting this icon does nothing, and after a brief flash of GTA 6’s cover art, you’re returned right back to the dashboard.

The internet, a whirlpool festering with misinformation, spun this irrelevant update into primetime news through clickbait-y headlines and edited videos. As a result, many players scampered over to their Xbox to check it out for themselves, only to be met with disappointment.

So, to sum things up, no, you cannot play GTA 6 early on the Xbox Series X/S by downloading the 300 MB pre-load file. This byte-sized file (as compared to the game’s actual size) is a placeholder that will let you download the title close to the May 26th GTA 6 release date, and that’s only if you pre-order the game in the first place.

For the time being, you can navigate to the GTA 6 page on the Xbox store to wishlist it, or add it to your dashboard and admire it from afar like a distant dream. And just as a final reminder: GTA 6 arrives on May 26, 2026.

Did the Xbox store listing fool you as well? Be sure to let us know in the comments.