GTA 6 Pre-Load Broke Virgin Media's All-Time Broadband Records
Virgin Media O2 says November 10 was the busiest day in its network's history, beating a Champions League semi-final and Fortnite's latest season. Plus: Yorkshire congestion at YouFibre, and how long the download really takes.
Updated · Published
GTA 6 isn’t out yet and it’s already breaking the internet, at least in the UK. In a press release on November 11, Virgin Media O2 said pre-load day, Tuesday November 10, set both its biggest-ever traffic peak and its highest-ever daily data volume.
The numbers
- Peak traffic beat the previous record, set during Arsenal v Atlético Madrid in the Champions League semi-final, by 3.8%.
- Total data for the day beat the previous record, set by Fortnite Chapter 7 Mini Season on November 1, by 4%. The old full-day record fell at 11:05pm, with nearly an hour of the day still to go.
- Between midnight and 1am, traffic was 51.6% higher than the same hour a week earlier, and by 9am total downloads were 73.3% higher.
Virgin Media didn’t say how many customers pre-loaded or publish raw traffic figures.
Not everyone held up
YouFibre CEO Jeremy Chelot posted on X on November 10 that GTA 6 traffic was “causing issue with one of our BNG” (a broadband network gateway), leaving customers around Yorkshire with congestion while engineers rebalanced traffic. It was a regional slowdown, not a national outage.
How long the download takes
Virgin Media puts the game at 190 GB and says its Gig2 (2 Gbps) customers can grab it in under 15 minutes. Rockstar’s own figure is up to 212 GB depending on console, so leave that much free. At full line speed with no overhead, a 100 Mbps connection needs over four hours. Real-world speeds will be slower, so start early.
Gamers are clearing their schedules
Virgin Media’s polling (Strand Partners, UK adults who plan to play) found 46% expect to download before release day, 45% expect to spend £50 or more on gaming kit, and 81% have taken or plan to take steps before launch, from clearing storage to stocking up on snacks.
GTA 6 unlocks November 19, 2026. Digital pre-orders can pre-load now, and code-in-box buyers can start once they redeem their code. Exact times: GTA 6 preload: November 10. How much space to clear: GTA 6 file size guide.
- Virgin Media O2 - GTA VI breaks Virgin Media broadband records as fans rush to pre-load game (Nov 11, 2026)
- ISPreview UK - ISP Virgin Media UK reports broadband traffic surge as GTA VI pre-loads start (Nov 11, 2026)
- thinkbroadband - GTA VI results in new peak traffic record for Virgin Media O2 (Nov 11, 2026)
- Yahoo Tech - GTA 6 preload and YouFibre congestion in Yorkshire (Nov 10, 2026)
Quick answers
Did GTA 6 break Virgin Media's broadband record?
Yes. Virgin Media O2 says November 10, 2026 pre-load day set both its highest-ever traffic peak and its biggest-ever daily data volume.
How long does the GTA 6 pre-load take?
Rockstar lists up to 212 GB. That's under 15 minutes on a 2 Gbps line, but over four hours on 100 Mbps even at full speed.
Gear up for Leonida
- Grand Theft Auto VI Pre-order: $79.99 Standard / $99.99 Ultimate Check price →
- PlayStation 5 console GTA 6 launches on PS5 Check price →
- Xbox Series X Also day-one on Xbox Series X|S Check price →
- 2TB NVMe SSD for PS5 Open-world games eat storage Check price →
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