Does GTA 6 Need a PS5 Update? Firmware 14.22 Explained

Does GTA 6 need a PS5 update? Probably. PlayStation Game Size, which reads PS Store backend data, says Grand Theft Auto VI now requires PS5 system software 14.22.00.00 or newer, released November 2, 2026. Auto-updates on? You’re set. If not, here’s how to get there before the November 12 preload.

GTA 6’s reported PS5 requirement

The figure comes from the PlayStation Game Size account on X, the same one that dug up the reported 210GB download size. In early October, it listed 14.10.00.00 as the minimum. On November 2, the day Sony shipped its latest patch, it bumped that to 14.22.00.00, as Push Square reported.

Level: Reported. Neither Rockstar nor Sony has published a requirement. What Sony does say, in plain words on its support page, is that you “might not be able to use some applications or content without first updating the system software.” A game refusing to boot on old firmware is nothing new: Push Square points out that Marvel’s Wolverine already demanded the latest version.

PS5 firmware timeline since the jailbreaks

Sony’s own release notes stay vague, but the timeline lines up with the jailbreak scene’s progress.

The logic is simple. A jailbroken PS5 has to stay on the old firmware its exploit targets. A game that demands the newest version won’t start on it, and updating to meet the bar ends Relapse support. TweakTown notes that Relapse covers firmware 7.00 through 13.60 only, so a Relapse console is locked out of GTA 6 unless it updates.

The likely reason the bar moved: 14.10 didn’t hold for long. On October 19, exploit developer Gezine posted a clip of a PS5 running 14.10, and HotHardware reports that a userland exploit on 14.20 was claimed within hours of its release. One caveat keeps this from being a crisis: per TweakTown, the old method for dumping game executables doesn’t seem to work on 14.xx yet. MP1st notes that 14.22 doesn’t look mandatory for now and says another patch before launch wouldn’t be a surprise, so don’t treat 14.22 as final.

How to update your PS5 before November 12

If Auto-Download and Stay Connected to the Internet are on, Sony says the console downloads updates in rest mode (our PS5 and Xbox settings guide walks through both menus). To do it by hand, per Sony:

1. Go to Settings > System.
2. Select System Software > System Software Update and Settings.
3. If Update Available shows, select Update System Software.

Download stuck? Press the PS button, open Downloads/Uploads, highlight the update, then View Error Info > Try Again.

Still failing, use a USB drive. On a PC or Mac, format it FAT32 or exFAT, create a PS5 folder with an UPDATE folder inside, and save Sony’s file there as PS5UPDATE.PUP (about 1.1GB, uppercase names). Plug it in, start the PS5 in Safe Mode by holding the power button until the second beep, then pick Update System Software > Update from USB Storage Device. Afterward, check that System Software reads 26.07-14.22.00 or later. Grab the update file, not the reinstallation file next to it: that one resets the console and deletes everything on it.

Physical copies, jailbreaks and Xbox

The box won’t save you a download. Rockstar confirmed that the physical edition holds a download code, not a disc, and goes on sale November 12, the day preloading opens. So you’ll need to be online for the game download and the system update. More on that in our physical edition explainer.

Jailbroken consoles are on their own. Updating takes a console out of Relapse’s supported range (7.00 to 13.60), and no source yet says what 14.22 changes for the partial 14.10 and 14.20 exploits. Sony warns that an altered console “might not operate properly” or install official updates at all, which can also void the warranty. Pre-release GTA 6 “leaks” deserve the same caution: see how to tell real leaks from fake.

Xbox Series X|S owners can relax. No minimum Xbox OS version has been reported for GTA VI. Leave the console online with updates on for the preload and the day-one patch, then check what time GTA 6 unlocks in your time zone. Release details and editions live on our release date and preorder pages.