As Grand Theft Auto 6 breaks pre-order records on the PlayStation and Xbox stores, and looks poised to break many more sales records once it launches next week, questions of whether it will also break the internet arise. Collective network load will undoubtedly spike around its release - will regional infrastructure be able to bear it?
Major game releases register nationally for broadband use: we know this from an investigation into gaming downloads and how much they cost the environment we published in 2021. We also know that UK communications regulator Ofcom negotiates with gaming companies to try and avoid major game launches happening alongside major cultural occasions, such as sporting events, which are likely to spike broadband use. The network pipes can be clogged, and there's arguably never been a game as anticipated as GTA 6 to clog them.
