IShowSpeed Reportedly Plans New Zealand Trip for an Early GTA 6 Stream

IShowSpeed Eyes New Zealand for a GTA 6 Head Start as Global Unlock Times Stagger Across Time Zones

Streamer Darren “IShowSpeed” Watkins Jr. is reportedly planning a trip to New Zealand so he can be among the first and potentially the first major creator to play and stream Grand Theft Auto VI.

According to the fan account IShowSpeedHQ, Speed aims to access the game roughly 18 hours before its United States unlock.

Speed built his audience through intense, unfiltered reactions. He has long streamed NBA 2K and Fortnite, but soccer titles became a signature: high-profile 1v1s on EA Sports FC against professionals including Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze, Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, and PSG’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia regularly draw massive concurrent viewership and clip-worthy moments of celebration or frustration.⁠

His Grand Theft Auto V history is similarly ambitious. In early 2024, he completed the story mode across multi-hour sessions that culminated in a roughly 17-hour continuous stream, complete with the characteristic shouts, improvisation, and determination that define his broadcasts.⁠

He has also logged time in GTA V role-play servers, including chaotic first-day sessions and returns that mix comedy, failed plans, and interactions with friends and viewers.

More recently, he has reacted to GTA 6 trailers, highlighting the realistic visuals (calling them “like a dream”), spotting in-game details such as KFC, N3on like IRL streamer, and generating the usual mix of hype and memes.

How GTA 6 Unlocks Around the World

Rockstar Games has confirmed a November 19, 2026 release date for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The digital version does not unlock simultaneously worldwide. Store listings (PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store) show it becomes available at midnight local time according to the account’s store region, creating roughly 15 staggered windows spanning about 19 hours.⁠

New Zealand is first: midnight NZDT on November 19, which is 11:00 UTC on November 18.

Australia follows roughly two hours later.

Japan and South Korea unlock around 15:00 UTC on the 18th.

Much of Asia, the Middle East, and India occupy subsequent windows.

Central Europe unlocks at midnight CET (23:00 UTC on November 18); the UK and Ireland at midnight GMT (00:00 UTC on November 19).

South America (including Brazil) sits in the early hours of November 19 UTC.

United States and Canada share a window at 05:00 UTC on November 19. That equals midnight Eastern Time on November 19, which is 11 p.m. Central, 10 p.m. Mountain, and 9 p.m. Pacific on November 18.

Mexico and several Central American regions are last, around 06:00 UTC on November 19.

Note that unlock time is governed by the store region of the account that owns the copy, not the player’s physical location. On Xbox, it is relatively straightforward to adjust region settings; on PlayStation, a new regional account and local payment method are typically required.

Rockstar itself has not published an official hour-by-hour schedule; the times above come from verified store listings that have been consistent across sources.

Speed’s documented willingness to travel for content, World Cup tours, IRL streams, and marathon gaming sessions makes the New Zealand idea on-brand even if it remains unconfirmed by the streamer himself.