YouTube plans a 24-hour GTA 6 livestream on launch day

YouTube and Rockstar Games have teamed up to fill launch week with creator content and interactive features. The platform calls itself the home of all the game's video.

For perspective, the Grand Theft Auto series has passed 900 billion views on YouTube. Pre-launch videos about GTA 6 already top 40 billion, according to YouTube.

YouTube Live is introducing five limited-edition, game-themed gifts. They include animations like Wanted Stars, which pop up on screen during streams.

Eligible viewers watching selected creator livestreams can claim and send one for free while they last, per the blog. Mezha.net reports the same and describes a free gift while supplies last.

There's also the GTAVI: Visit Vice City Shorts effect. It drops whoever's filming into Vice City against several recognizable backgrounds, built for launch-week videos.

The global broadcast begins on November 19 at 12 AM ET, which is midnight on the US East Coast, at youtube.com/youtube. Convert that to your own time zone before setting an alarm.

Expect live gameplay, creator podcasts and original content with Caylus, Zhong and Kat, Jelly, Rivers, Jake Baldino, Cinna and others.

The marathon ends with live coverage from Miami alongside creators and special guests. Mezha.net adds that the stream is titled Launch Day: YouTube's 24 Hour GTAVI Livestream and is produced with Entropico.

To jump in, click the GTA 6-themed YouTube logo, called the Yoodle, on the homepage.

YouTube Music will put the official GTA 6 soundtrack on its homepage all launch week, including Morgan Wallen's Last Thing You Need, plus a playlist spanning the series.

Rockstar announced GTA VI: The Album on September 17, with 34 tracks, for November 19. YouTube doesn't say whether its official soundtrack is that album.

YouTube's Culture & Trends team has also published a report on the series' cultural impact. It looks at how the cinematic, immersive world has evolved digital storytelling and opened new avenues for creative expression.

On November 19 you'll get a free, open 24-hour broadcast with creators. If you want a gift, look for selected creator livestreams: only eligible viewers can claim them, and only while they last.

Creators promise tactical breakdowns, immersive storytelling and behind-the-scenes access from Miami throughout launch week.

YouTube hasn't said which creators make up the list of streams with gifts or how many each viewer can claim. Rockstar hasn't published its side of the plan either.

The first checkpoint is November 18, with the RDCWorld pre-show at 11 PM ET. The full broadcast starts at 12 AM ET on November 19.

When does YouTube's 24-hour stream start?

It starts on November 19 at 12 AM ET, with an RDCWorld pre-show from 11 PM ET on November 18, according to YouTube.

How do you get a GTA 6 gift on YouTube Live?

Eligible viewers of selected creator livestreams can claim and send one for free while they last, per YouTube.

Where can you watch the broadcast?

At youtube.com/youtube, or through the GTA 6 Yoodle that YouTube will put on its homepage.