What actually happens on launch day, hour by hour

For anyone who has not been through one of these, here is the realistic shape of November 19.

If you preloaded on the 12th, the game is already on your console as an encrypted blob you cannot open. At unlock it becomes playable, usually at local midnight though Rockstar has not confirmed the hour.

There will be a day one patch. It will be large. It downloads on top of the preload, so budget time and space for it.

The first hour will have store and licence check problems because everyone in your region is doing the same thing at the same time. This resolves itself. It is not your console.

Then you play, and the internet becomes unusable for a fortnight.