Media reviews for GTA 6 are expected to be embargoed until November 18, one day before the game's release on November 19. However, some websites and YouTube channels may have to wait until launch day to publish their reviews. This information has not yet been officially confirmed by Rockstar.
ResetEra user BlackBate claims that Metacritic scores may go live between 12:01 and 13:01 CET on November 18, which corresponds to 6:00 to 7:00 AM EST on the same day. Other media outlets may face later restrictions, needing to wait until 6:01 AM CET on November 19, or 12:01 AM EST on the same day, before publishing their content.
It is currently unclear why different media outlets might face different release times. Speculation suggests that Rockstar may wish to allow written reviews to establish initial impressions before releasing video content that could contain story spoilers; another possibility is that larger media organizations are given priority. None of these explanations have been confirmed.
BlackBate also predicts that there will likely be no hands-on preview events for the media before launch. Currently, invited content creators have only watched demonstrations and have not yet played as Jason and Lucia themselves. NateTheHate previously stated that Rockstar should soon distribute the game to media outlets; BlackBate added that digital review codes for Xbox and PS5 have not yet been sent out, possibly arriving during the week of October 26 or in early November, giving testers about two to three weeks to explore the open world of Leonida.
Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 also had their media embargoes lifted one day prior to release, so the November 18 date aligns with Rockstar's schedule for its previous two titles. Nevertheless, this review embargo date remains leaked information.