I am on the east cost and i know the digital download copys wont unlock untill 3am here but what about having the Physical copy im getting from gamestop? I know I sitll have to go though steam but it would be pretty crappy if i have to wait 3 hours when im holding the game.

You will still have to wait and activate the game through Steam. Many of us have had the game installed for days, but we still have to wait for the unlock. That's just how it goes.

The current schedule is to activate the game at 3AM EST. Since there are many threads already for this discussion, I will close this for you so you can use an existing thread.