GTA 6 pre-loads are breaking broadband traffic records
GTA 6's 212GB pre-load set traffic records at Virgin Media O2 and slowed one UK ISP, while Spectrum offers US customers a free gig speed boost.
12th Nov 2026 12:15
Image via Rockstar Games
GTA 6 pre-loads are breaking broadband traffic records
GTA 6's 212GB pre-load set traffic records at Virgin Media O2 and slowed one UK ISP, while Spectrum offers US customers a free gig speed boost.
12th Nov 2026 12:15
Image via Rockstar Games
GTA 6 isn't out until November 19, but its pre-load is already giving internet providers a busy week, with record traffic reported in the UK and Europe and one US provider handing out free speed boosts to help players get the 212GB download done.
Pre-loading opened on November 10 for everyone who pre-ordered digitally, and since GTA 6 is now the most pre-ordered game in PlayStation Store history, that's an awful lot of consoles hitting the download button at the same time. According to Push Square, Virgin Media O2 says November 10 brought record-breaking data volume and traffic on its UK network, while Forbes reports that the provider saw record traffic peaks as well as its biggest ever day for data.
A traffic jam before you've even reached Vice City
Not every network took it in its stride, mind. UK provider YouFibre emailed customers about slower speeds, telling them, as reported by Forbes, that it was "aware of a network capacity issue affecting the YouFibre network, due to the high demand of GTA 6 downloads", while CEO Jeremy Chelot posted that "people around Yorkshire are currently suffering congestion" as the company worked to rebalance its traffic.
It's a similar story across Europe, too, as Push Square, citing German site Golem, reports that provider 1&1 saw connections to PlayStation Network and Xbox Live running at 10 times the usual level on the night of November 9 to 10, with Vodafone also reporting a spike, while GlobalConnect in Sweden said its traffic jumped by 50% on the night pre-loading began.
Spectrum is offering a free speed boost
Over in the US, Spectrum has gone the other way and is offering eligible customers a free "Gig Speed Lift" that it has tied directly to GTA 6. According to Charter's official announcement, residential customers on a qualifying plan with compatible equipment can move up to Spectrum Internet 1 Gig, or to 2 Gig in select areas if they're already on 1 Gig, at no extra cost.
The boost runs from November 9 to November 30, which takes in launch day, Thanksgiving and the Black Friday weekend, and you'll need to switch it on in the My Spectrum app by November 30, after which your speeds go back to your usual tier. Spectrum reckons a gig connection can have you playing GTA 6 in under 30 minutes, although it hasn't said how it worked that number out, and restrictions apply.
If you haven't started your own download yet, our GTA 6 pre-load guide has the times and file sizes, and we've also covered how GTA 6 broke pre-order records on PlayStation and Xbox. Well, if your broadband has felt a bit sluggish this week, at least you now know who to blame.
About The Author
Jake Bannister
Jake is GGRecon's Co-Founder and Operations Director. You'll find him covering our word game brain teasers, as well as sports games such as Football Manager and EA FC. He's also that teammate on your Rocket League team spamming "Wow!".
