GTA 6 PS5: How To Play Early With the New Zealand Trick

Time to say goodbye to your loved ones and maybe your job. With GTA 6 finally approaching, plenty of players will be looking for ways to get into Vice City as early as possible. One of the oldest tricks in the book involves taking a virtual trip to New Zealand, which is at least a much quicker journey than jumping on a plane.

Unfortunately, things are a little more complicated on PS5 than they are on Xbox. If you’ve already purchased GTA 6 on your regular PlayStation account, you’ll need to buy the game again through a New Zealand account to use this trick.

 

Does The New Zealand Trick Work On PS5?

The short answer is yes, but not in the same way as Xbox.

On Xbox, players can simply change their console’s location to New Zealand and potentially access games early. PlayStation, however, ties digital purchases to the region of your PSN account, meaning changing your console’s time zone won’t make GTA 6 unlock any sooner.

Instead, you’ll need to purchase the game using a New Zealand PlayStation account.

To be absolutely clear: if you’ve already bought GTA 6 on your UK or US PSN account, that purchase won’t carry over to a New Zealand account. You’ll have to pay for another copy, or stick to that NZ account for your entire playthrough.

If you haven’t bought the game yet, you could purchase it through the New Zealand store instead, avoiding the need to pay twice. Remember: the game is 212 GB, so you will probably need to get the pre-load going as soon as possible.

 

How To Play GTA 6 Early On PS5

If you’re determined to play GTA 6 as soon as it becomes available in New Zealand, here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Create a new PlayStation Network account and select New Zealand as your country.
2. Add the new account to your PS5.
3. Purchase GTA 6 through the New Zealand PlayStation Store using a supported payment method or New Zealand PSN wallet credit.
4. Download the game ahead of release, assuming pre-loading is available.
5. Once GTA 6 unlocks in New Zealand, launch it using your New Zealand account.

You may also be able to play through your usual PSN account by enabling Console Sharing and Offline Play on the New Zealand account, although bear in mind that this may cause huge issues when it comes to GTA Online’s eventual release.

Bear in mind that you cannot simply change the country of an existing PSN account. You’ll need a separate account, and any purchases will remain associated with it.

 

What Time Could You Play GTA 6 Early On PS5?

Assuming GTA 6 launches at midnight in New Zealand on November 19, 2026, the following times would apply:

This could potentially give UK players a 13-hour head start compared to a local midnight release, while those in parts of the US could get an even bigger advantage.

 

Will The New Zealand Trick Work For GTA 6 On PS5?

While nothing has been officially confirmed, GTA 6 is expected to launch at midnight in individual time zones based on the store listings all having midnight specific countdowns, so there’s good reason to believe that purchasing the game through a New Zealand PSN account could allow you to play earlier.

Unlike Xbox, however, this isn’t something you can do by simply changing a setting. If you’ve already pre-ordered GTA 6 on your regular account, you’ll effectively be paying for the game twice just to play it a few hours earlier. These games aren’t cheap, especially if you’re buying the Ultimate Edition.

Unless Rockstar or Sony introduces additional restrictions, the method should work, but we’d strongly recommend waiting for confirmation of the exact unlock times before spending money on another copy. Even for GTA 6, paying twice for the same game is a bit much.

 

Can You Get Banned For Using The New Zealand Trick On PS5?

While creating a PlayStation account registered to a country you don’t live in can technically breach Sony’s terms of service, we’ve never heard of it actually happening. Probably because they might be getting your money twice.

Ultimately, the bigger concern is spending money on another copy of GTA 6 only to discover that the trick doesn’t work. If you’re thinking about trying it, bear in mind that you’re taking a financial risk for what could amount to just a few extra hours in Vice City.

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