GTA 6 download codes on PS5 have extra restrictions that Xbox doesn’t

| Games News Writer Published July 27, 2026 12:03pm Updated July 27, 2026 12:03pm Don’t try to buy it elsewhere (Rockstar Games) UK gamers shouldn’t try and purchase GTA 6 from another country on PS5, as Rockstar confirms the pre-load dates. Rockstar sparked controversy when it announced boxed copies of GTA 6 would not come with an actual disc, but for PlayStation 5 players in the UK, the download codes you’ll find instead come with added restrictions. As outlined on Rockstar’s updated support page, GTA 6 download codes on Sony’s console will come with regional restrictions in certain territories. For context, while you can play game discs bought from any country on a UK PlayStation 5 console, you can only buy digital games from the UK PlayStation Store, due to PlayStation Network account restrictions. As such, it isn’t too surprising that GTA 6 download codes bought in certain territories – both in boxed copies and digitally – can only be redeemed via PlayStation accounts from the same region, but it’s still annoying. According to the support page, GTA 6 codes bought in the UK will be country-locked – so if you buy a code from another country, you won’t be able to redeem it through a UK PlayStation account. This is the same for Brazil, Japan, South Korea, and North America. You can check out a breakdown in the box below. For Japan, there are even more restrictions. As outlined on the website, codes in Japan will expire 170 days after the date they are issued. In other words, if you get a code at launch on November 19, 2026 in Japan, you’ll have to redeem it before May 7, 2027 or it will no longer work ‘due to regional regulations’. Expert, exclusive gaming analysis Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. GTA 6 regional restrictions on PS5 Brazil: Brazil LATAM: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay North America: Canada, United States Korea: South Korea Japan: Japan United Kingdom: United Kingdom Saudi Arabia & UAE: Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates Rest of Asia: Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand Rest of EMEA and Asia: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine If you are buying a copy at launch, it’s unlikely you’ll leave it six months before redeeming it, but it’s still a worrying example of how download codes can be controlled by companies – at a time when Sony is planning to cease PlayStation discs after 2027. It’s important to note that all these restrictions only apply to PlayStation 5 copies. Xbox Series X/S codes are not region-locked and can be purchased from anywhere in the world. Elsewhere on the support page, Rockstar states you can pre-load GTA 6 starting from November 12, if you pre-order a copy. This applies to both digital and ‘physical’ pre-orders. GTA 6 is set to launch across PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 19, 2026. The Ultimate Edition comes with extra cosmetics (Rockstar Games) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. Arrow MORE: PlayStation fans plan PS5 protest with one week of not playing any video games Arrow MORE: Games Inbox: Are people still excited for Tomb Raider games? Arrow MORE: God Of War Laufey release date announced alongside first details of new game GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.