GTA VI's 200 GB Download Surges Traffic for Telekom, Vodafone, and 1&1

The pre-download phase of the video game "Grand Theft Auto VI" has caused a significant surge in data traffic for German telecommunications providers Telekom, Vodafone, and 1&1. The game, set for release on November 19, is available for pre-loading this week with a file size exceeding 200 gigabytes. Vodafone reported traffic in its central network increased around 1 a.m. Tuesday, with daytime throughput roughly 60 percent above the previous day's levels. 1&1 observed an "unusual increase" in console data traffic, at times reaching about ten times normal nighttime levels, while Telekom also noted a "very high" surge in data volume. The Frankfurt internet exchange DE-CIX recorded a peak of 22.30 terabits per second on Tuesday evening, nearly a fifth above the previous record from January 2026. Sony stated GTA 6 is the most pre-ordered game ever in the PlayStation Store, and download times range from over 47 hours at 10 Mbit/s to about 28 minutes at 1000 Mbit/s.