Grand Theft Auto 6 has already smashed through internet records – more than a week before it is actually released.
From Tuesday, players were able to pre-load the game so that it would be ready to play straight away when it launches, on 19 November. That meant that Xbox and PlayStation 5 consoles started downloading the 212GB file from the morning.
That led to both the biggest-ever traffic peak and highest-ever daily data volume on the day, according to new figures from Virgin Media O2.
The previous record for peak traffic was beaten by 3.8 per cent, the internet provider said. It had previously been held by Arsenal v Atlético Madrid in the Champions League, in April.
The total volume of data over the day was 4 per cent more than the previous record, too. That was set only days ago, with the release of Fortnite Chapter 7 Mini Season on 1 November.
Within just an hour of the pre-load going live, Virgin Media O2 saw a 51.6 per cent increasing traffic, compared to the previous week. By 9am, the total amount of data downloaded over its network was 73.3 per cent higher.
Other internet providers reported problems caused by the vast traffic from people downloading the game. Jeremy Chelot, the chief executive of internet providers Netomnia and YouFibre, said that the traffic was causing an “issue” and that users in Yorkshire were facing “congestion”.
For many who had pre-ordered the game through official stores, the pre-load will have happened automatically. That requires the automatic downloads setting to be on, and the console to be a standby state, however – meaning that there may still be yet more downloads to come.
The console must also have enough space for the huge download to actually be saved. Many players have complained about the size of the game because it will take up valuable and relatively limited space on their console – it takes up about a third of the available storage on the base PlayStation 5, for instance.
What’s more, some players who pre-ordered the game from physical retailers are yet to receive their download codes. While Rockstar has decided that the game will only be available digitally – and so it cannot be bought as a disc – shops are selling boxes that come with codes inside and will not be available until 12 November.
At 212GB, GTA 6 is one of the biggest games ever made available through the Xbox and PlayStation online stores. While some games – such as Call of Duty – have beaten it, they have generally been released in stages, with players not having to download the full thing at once.
“GTA VI is already proving to be a record-breaking moment for our network, with fans downloading the game in huge numbers before it launches,” said Jeanie York, chief technology officer at Virgin Media O2.
“With fans booking time off work and upgrading their gaming set-ups for GTA VI, a reliable broadband connection is just as important so they can get the game downloaded in good time. We’ve been preparing our network for the demand that comes with a launch of this scale, so fans can focus on exploring Vice City, not watching a download bar.”
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