Pre-loading opened on November 10, and within hours dataminers were going through what they could see of the files. A lot of what they found has been retold as fact: multiplayer is coming, a 40 fps mode is in, story and online install separately. Here's each claim, where it came from, and what it can and can't tell you.
The pre-load is encrypted until launch. As Gamereactor puts it, findings come from file labels, listings and store metadata, not from the game itself. No dataminer has seen gameplay, story or map content. A label tells you something exists in a file; it doesn't tell you what you'll be able to do on November 19.
"The files mention multiplayer"
REPORTED The X account PlayStation Game Size, which watches PlayStation listings, reported that GTA 6's PlayStation metadata contains the labels joinSession, launchActivity and launchMultiplayerActivity (IBTimes UK, Gamereactor).
What it can tell you: these are hooks into PlayStation's own system for jumping into an activity or a friend's session from the console menu. Their presence fits the expectation that GTA 6 gets an online mode at some point.
What it can't: when, or whether anything multiplayer works at launch. IBTimes notes that a platform identifier "does not establish that a playable online mode exists," and that the PlayStation Store lists the game as one player. OFFICIAL Rockstar and Take-Two still describe GTA 6 as a single-player experience, and no online mode has been announced. Our online explainer has the full record.
"Story and online install separately"
REPORTED A dataminer posting on X found that story content sits apart from a shared base installation, similar to how recent Call of Duty games are packaged (FRVR).
What it can tell you: the package is split into parts. That would make it easy to ship an online mode as an add-on later.
What it can't: whether you'll be able to skip the story download. IBTimes calls a separate story item unconfirmed and points out that a file listing doesn't mean players get an install choice. FRVR itself says "we don't have the full picture as of yet." For now, plan on the whole thing: our size explainer says clear about 230 GB.
"There's a 40 fps mode on PS5 Pro"
REPORTED A dataminer on GTAForums reported that the metadata flags support for a 120Hz "high framerate" output, with no VRR. His own words, per Vice: "Offering 40fps mode is up to Rockstar."
What it can tell you: the game can output at 120Hz. Some PS5 games use 120Hz output to offer a 40 fps mode, because 40 divides evenly into 120.
What it can't: that a 40 fps mode exists. OFFICIAL Rockstar's pre-load post says GTA 6 is "targeting 30 frames per second," and no other mode has been announced. Vice says the same: the datamine shows the game could support such a mode, not that it will. See what 30 fps means.
"It uses a newer PSSR on PS5 Pro"
REPORTED The same dataminer read a PSSR version value of 13.60, higher than the value he'd seen in other PSSR games, and concluded GTA 6 uses a newer version of Sony's upscaler (Vice).
OFFICIAL That GTA 6 uses PSSR on PS5 Pro isn't in doubt: Sony's PlayStation Blog lists PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution and ray-traced shadows among the Pro enhancements. The version number is the only new part, and it's a reading of a value, not something Sony has explained.
"Ray tracing is different on Pro"
REPORTED Gamereactor, citing IGN, says ray-tracing structure data (BVH) differs between the base PS5 and PS5 Pro packages. One dataminer put the Pro's story asset set at 223.5 MB, against 64 KB on the base console.
What it can tell you: the Pro build carries extra ray-tracing data, which matches Sony's listing of ray-traced shadows on Pro. What it can't: how it looks or what it costs in performance. Nobody can measure that before launch.
"Australia and New Zealand are missing a file"
UNCONFIRMED A file named core_restofworld001 is reportedly absent from the Australian and New Zealand build (Gamereactor). That's been read as region-specific cut content. Gamereactor says it could equally be a content difference, a localisation quirk or nothing at all, and calls the cut-content reading speculation. We agree: there's no way to know from a file name.
All of it in one table
| Claim | Grade | Bottom line |
|---|---|---|
| Multiplayer labels in PlayStation metadata | REPORTED | Real labels; no online mode announced |
| Story separate from base install | REPORTED | Plausible; no install choice confirmed |
| 120Hz output flag, no VRR | REPORTED | Plausible; Rockstar says 30 fps target |
| 40 fps mode on PS5 Pro | UNCONFIRMED | Not in the files; not announced |
| PSSR on PS5 Pro | OFFICIAL | Sony lists it; version number is a reading |
| Extra ray-tracing data on Pro | REPORTED | Fits Sony's ray-traced shadows |
| AU/NZ cut content | UNCONFIRMED | A missing file name, nothing more |
We'll check every row against the game on November 19 and log the results in the Fact Ledger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do the GTA 6 files confirm multiplayer?
No. PlayStation metadata reportedly includes labels like joinSession and launchMultiplayerActivity, which are hooks into PlayStation's session system. They fit an eventual online mode, but Rockstar hasn't announced one, and GTA 6 launches as a single-player game.
Does GTA 6 have a 40 fps mode on PS5 Pro?
Not as far as anyone knows. A dataminer found a 120Hz output flag and said offering 40 fps is up to Rockstar. Rockstar says the game targets 30 fps and hasn't announced any other mode.
Can you install GTA 6 story mode only?
Unconfirmed. Dataminers report the story content is packaged separately from a shared base install, but nothing says players will get to choose. Plan for the full download.
Can dataminers see GTA 6 gameplay in the pre-load?
No. The pre-load is encrypted until launch, so finds come from file labels and store metadata only.
Sources
- Gamereactor: Dataminers dig into newly live GTA 6 preload files (Nov. 9, 2026)
- IBTimes UK: Dataminers find 'joinSession' code hinting at multiplayer (Nov. 10, 2026)
- Vice: Could GTA 6 run at 40 FPS on PS5 Pro? (Nov. 9, 2026)
- FRVR: GTA 6 files reveal online and single-player won't need to be installed together (Nov. 9, 2026)
- PlayStation Blog: Pre-load Grand Theft Auto VI on PS5 starting today (Nov. 10, 2026)
- Rockstar Newswire: Pre-Load Grand Theft Auto VI Now (Nov. 10, 2026)