Grand Theft Auto VI preloads have triggered major increases in internet traffic across Europe, with broadband providers reporting overnight traffic surges of up to 50% in Sweden and Denmark. German internet provider 1&1 also recorded a tenfold increase in traffic associated with PlayStation Network and Xbox Live as players began downloading Rockstar Games’ upcoming title.
The traffic spikes followed the November 10 launch of GTA 6 digital preloads on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. With the game requiring approximately 212GB of storage, simultaneous downloads are generating unusually large amounts of data traffic ahead of its November 19 release.
In Denmark, telecommunications company GlobalConnect confirmed on November 10 that internet traffic increased by 20% around midnight before climbing to 50% above normal overnight levels between approximately 4 a.m. and 5:30 a.m.
GlobalConnect Group COO Jakob Dirksen explained that the company could clearly identify the impact of GTA 6 downloads in its network traffic measurements. The figures cover GlobalConnect’s consumer and internet service provider customers in Denmark and are compared against typical nighttime traffic.
Sweden experienced a similar increase. Philip Wagrowski, business manager at GlobalConnect Sweden, told Swedish media that internet traffic initially climbed by approximately 20% when preloading became available before reaching 50% above average nighttime levels during the early morning hours.
Additional figures released by GlobalConnect on November 11 showed that Finland experienced a traffic increase exceeding 40%. The company’s measurements recorded traffic approximately 40% above normal at 1 a.m. on November 10, rising to around 42% at 4:30 a.m.
The Finnish figures were compared against traffic recorded on the corresponding weekdays over the preceding three weeks, providing a baseline for measuring the unusual increase.
Germany also experienced a significant spike in gaming-related downloads. In statements obtained directly by German technology publication Golem, internet provider 1&1 confirmed that traffic associated with Sony’s PlayStation Network and Microsoft’s Xbox Live reached ten times its usual nighttime level between November 9 and November 10.
The tenfold increase specifically refers to traffic involving the two gaming networks, not Germany’s total internet traffic. Vodafone separately confirmed a smaller traffic spike around 1 a.m. during the same period.
Despite the sharp increases, 1&1 said its network was not overloaded and that it was prepared for additional demand around GTA 6’s November 19 release. GlobalConnect similarly indicated that the higher traffic levels were manageable for its infrastructure.
The findings demonstrate a substantial increase in download demand rather than evidence of widespread internet outages.
In the United Kingdom, GTA 6 downloads also pushed Virgin Media O2 to new broadband traffic records on November 10. The provider recorded a 3.8% increase over its previous peak traffic record, while total daily data consumption exceeded its previous record by 4%.
Traffic on Virgin Media O2’s network was also 51.6% higher between midnight and 1 a.m. during the initial preload period. By 9 a.m., traffic was 73.3% above the level recorded at the same time one week earlier.
Meanwhile, US broadband provider Xfinity has introduced a temporary speed upgrade to help eligible customers download GTA 6.
Comcast announced on November 9 that qualifying Xfinity Internet customers can activate a free 15-day speed boost through the Xfinity app or their online membership page. The promotion offers download speeds of up to 2Gbps, depending on the customer’s existing plan and connection capabilities.
The upgrade became available on November 9 and can be redeemed through December 3. Customers who activate it receive the enhanced speeds for 15 days before returning to their regular service.
Comcast estimates that eligible customers with sufficiently fast connections could download GTA 6 in approximately 30 minutes, although actual download times depend on network conditions, equipment and server capacity.
The scale of these downloads reflects GTA 6’s unusually large installation requirements. Rockstar previously confirmed the game’s 212GB storage requirement and November 10 preload schedule, giving digital preorder customers nine days to download the title before launch.
GTA 6 releases on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. While the early traffic measurements demonstrate substantial demand, broadband providers have not established that the same increases will continue throughout the entire preload period or on launch day.
