PlayStation 3 owners waiting to play the PlayStation Network version of
Grand Theft Auto 5 now know exactly when they can start pre-loading the game files from the PlayStation Store.
Rockstar Games confirmed in a tweet that PSN pre-order customers in Europe will be able to begin downloading the game as of 3 p.m. British Summer Time on Sunday, Sept. 15. North American PSN users will have to wait until 3 a.m. EDT on Monday, Sept. 16. Because Microsoft's Games on Demand program doesn't support launch-day digital releases,
Grand Theft Auto 5 won't be available through the Xbox Games Store when the game launches Sept. 17.
Sony and its Day 1 Digital pre-order program came under fire last month when some European PSN users were able to download an early version of
Grand Theft Auto 5and
leak details such as the game's entire soundtrack. Sony later
apologized for the mistake.
For more on
Grand Theft Auto 5, check out our recent
interview with Rockstar creative director Dan Houser. Our review will go live at 10 a.m. EDT Sept. 16.