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GTA 6 preloads are live — there's still time to upgrade your NBN before launch day
You can feel the excitement in the air. Grand Theft Auto 6 will be available to play in less than two weeks, officially launching on November 19. We're fortunate here in Australia, as we'll be able to play the much-anticipated game before the rest of the world — our Kiwi cousins get it slightly earlier, but what's a few hours when we've had to wait 13 years.
That's only possible if you download the game ahead of time. And with preloading officially kicking off today, November 10, you'll want to make sure your NBN plan is ready to download the enormous 212GB file. If it isn't, there's still time to switch to one of the fastest NBN plans before launch day, so you can begin preloading and doing your bit to help avoid breaking the Australian internet.
And now is a great time to switch regardless, as several early Black Friday NBN deals have gone live, including an offer from Telstra that's almost too good to be true.
The telco is currently offering 50% off plan fees for four months across all of its plans, making it one of the cheapest providers for introductory pricing across several speed tiers. Yes, it happened — we got cheap Telstra NBN plans before GTA 6.
With the fastest NBN plans capable of downloading GTA 6 in as little as 14 minutes, compared with 56 minutes on slower connections, switching could make all the difference.
NBN plan | Download speed | Time to download |
NBN 500 | 500Mbps | 56m 32s |
NBN 750 | 750Mbps | 37m 41s |
NBN 1000 | 1,000Mbps | 28m 16s |
NBN 2000 | 2,000 Mbps | 14m 8s |
I’ve selected my top choice for each of the four speed tiers, with prices starting at AU$69 a month for Spintel’s NBN 750 plan.
Exetel One | 500Mbps | AU$80/m
I’ve selected Exetel’s NBN 500 plan as the top choice for this tier, as it’s not only affordable, with fuss-free billing, but it’s possible to boost your speed to NBN 1000 for 24 hours for just AU$1, perfect for downloading GTA 6 faster. Plus, the telco recorded the quickest ping speeds in the most recent ACCC broadband performance data report of 6.9ms, which could be ideal if you intend to game online.
• AU$80 minimum cost
• AU$960 yearly cost
Spintel Home Turbo Fast | 750Mbps | AU$69/m (first 6 months, then AU$94.95/m)
The most affordable NBN 750 plan that promises maximum plan speeds is this one from Spintel. The telco receives generally favourable reviews from customers, and even the ongoing cost is low for the tier, with the AU$94.95 monthly fee coming in well under the current AU$107 average.
• AU$69 total minimum cost
• AU$983.70 first year cost
• AU$1,139.40 ongoing yearly cost
Superloop | 860Mbps | AU$89/m (first 6 months, then AU$114/m)
It’s definitely possible to spend less on an NBN 1000 plan (and if you do, make sure to check out my other recommendations), but this plan from Superloop is well-optimised for online gameplay and has been proven to overdeliver on its typical evening speed claims. Throw in near-universal acclaim, and you have yourself a fine choice for a gigabit internet plan.
• AU$89 minimum cost
• AU$1,218 first year cost
• AU$1,368 ongoing yearly cost
Superloop Hyperspeed plan | 1,700Mbps | AU$148/m (first 6 months, then AU$168/m)
If you want an NBN 2000 plan, then you’ll likely first need to have dedicated equipment installed at your premises, which could affect the time it takes to download GTA 6. Still, if it’s the plan for you, this option from Superloop gets my seal of approval. Only a handful of providers currently offer an NBN 2000 plan, and given Superloop’s track record and positive reviews, and below-average pricing, it’s an easy recommendation.
• AU$148 minimum cost
• AU$1,896 first year cost
• AU$2,016 ongoing yearly cost
