THE LAUNCH
COMPANION.

What is inside

• Key dates and the full timeline. Preload, release, and every announcement since 2022, with what each date does and does not cover.
• Editions side by side. Both prices, the pre-order bonus, and why a boxed copy is a download code.
• The pre-launch checklist. Twelve things, in the order that avoids a launch-morning surprise.
• The launch-night plan. What to check, in what order, and what to do if the download stalls. Written for either unlock pattern.
• First 48 hours, spoiler-free. How to protect your own first play, plus a spoiler defence kit for every platform.
• Regions, characters, gameplay. Six regions, eight named characters, and a confirmed / seen / unknown table for every system.
• Fifteen things Rockstar never said. The claims you will see repeated as fact this autumn, and why none of them has a source.

Why this one

Every claim carries the same evidence label the site uses: official, seen in footage, reported from previews, or not confirmed. When Rockstar publishes the unlock time or the install size, the guide is updated the same day, the version number goes up, and subscribers get one email. If Rockstar ever contradicts a fact in it, we publish the correction and say so.

Version 1.1 · updated September 22, 2026. Independent fan publication, not affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.