GTA 6: release date, trailer, leaks, and everything we know so far
GTA 6: release date, trailer, leaks, and everything we know so far
Rockstar's highly anticipated GTA 5 sequel is drawing ever closer
It’s fair to say that GTA 6 might be the most anticipated video game of all time. Every morsel of information is newsworthy, with conspiracy theories and questionable leaks aplenty.
After years of waiting, we’ve finally seen Grand Theft Auto 6 in all its glory. The 90-second Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer is embedded below, and it confirms what we thought: the GTA 6 release date is fall 2025, it’ll launch on Xbox Series X and PS5, but there’s no word of a PC version. GTA 6 pre-orders likely won’t launch until late 2024 or early 2025, and you can expect a Collector’s Edition to be available.
Some thought seeing GTA 6 in action was a day that might never come, especially when Rockstar re-released Grand Theft Auto 5 yet again for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in March 2022. However, the fact a GTA 6 trailer was released for gamers’ eager eyes means that arguably one of the biggest games in the world is finally drawing closer to a release – even if it’s not out until fall 2025.
After watching the GTA 6 trailer and trawling through the internet, here’s everything we know about Grand Theft Auto VI so far.
GTA 6 release date window
If anyone tells you they know the exact GTA 6 release date, feel free to laugh at them. Rockstar is keeping Grand Theft Auto 6’s release date under lock under key and probably hidden away in a high-security vault until the studio is ready to announce it. However, we do know that the game will be released in the fall of 2025.
That narrows down the release window for GTA 6 between the end of September and the end of December. GTA 5 was released in October, so the GTA 6 release date could be October 2025.
The game was previously tipped to be released in 2024 in a report by Bloomberg, but we now know that’s not the case and the game won’t be out until 2025. We’ve already had to wait this long, so Rockstar will be unlikely to rush things.
The game was rumored to have slipped to 2026 because of delays in development, but thankfully it seems that isn’t the case. GTA 6’s release date is still on track, with publisher Take-Two reaffirming that the game hasn’t slipped, though CEO Strauss Zelnick refused to divulge any further information.
Everything we know about GTA 6
Details are still scarce about GTA 6, but the new trailer and a massive leak in late 2022 did reveal some precious nuggets of information. The GTA 6 trailer confirmed that the game will be set in Vice City and that you’ll be able to play as a female protagonist called Lucia. It appears the story will revolve around a ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ dynamic, with players switching between a male and female character.
The trailer also showed off the generational leap in visuals that GTA 6 promises to provide. Crowd density, incidental details, and more realistic character models all serve to heighten the realism and believability of Rockstar’s next open-world epic.
Perhaps somewhat predictably in today’s climate, Grand Theft Auto VI’s humor and tone may be a little different from what players have been used to in the past. A report from Bloomberg said Rockstar is keen to avoid jokes or references that “punch down”, and that satirizing modern-day America has become too challenging as “it’s already a satire of itself.”
However, judging from the GTA 6 trailer, it doesn’t look like Rockstar is making a child-friendly or politically sensitive game just yet.
Like with GTA 5 Online, which has been an incredibly successful endeavor for Rockstar, GTA 6 could be continually updated over time, with new missions and even cities being added. After such a long development period, Rockstar will want to ensure that players have plenty to do in Vice City and reasons to continue to play the game for many months and years to come.
GTA 6 platforms
Grand Theft Auto VI will be released on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2025. No mention of a PC or Nintendo Switch release was mentioned in Rockstar Games’ press release, which isn’t too surprising. GTA 5 came to PC a few years after it was released on PS3 and Xbox 360, and Grand Theft Auto 5 never came to Nintendo’s hybrid console.
The PS5 Pro will be the best place to play GTA 6 until a PC release comes along, owing to its increased power. However, don’t expect Sony’s new console to perform miracles. GTA 6 on PS5 Pro is unlikely to hit 60fps as the PlayStation 5 Pro basically retains the same CPU as the current PS5. Still, if Sony can advertise other benefits, it could make a strong case for gamers to upgrade to its more powerful console.
GTA 6 leaks
Hackers were able to get their hands on early development footage of Grand Theft Auto VI, much to the understandable annoyance of Rockstar Games.
The developer released a message in response to the leak on X, saying “We recently suffered a network intrusion in which an unauthorized third party illegally accessed and downloaded confidential information from our systems, including early development footage for the next Grand Theft Auto.
“We are extremely disappointed to have any details of our next game shared with you all in this way. Our work on the next Grand Theft Auto game will continue as planned and we remain as committed as ever to delivering an experience to you, our players, that truly exceeds your expectations.
“We will update everyone again soon, and of course, will properly introduce you to this next game when it is ready. We want to thank everyone for their ongoing support through this situation.”
But what did the GTA 6 leak show? Well, it confirmed that the game would have a playable female protagonist for the first time in the series – which has now been confirmed. The character will be Latina, and “one of a pair of leading characters in a story influenced by the bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde”, according to a Bloomberg report published in July 2022.
The GTA 6 leak also suggested the game would be set in a modern-day Vice City, which is a fictional version of Miami. Players last visited the tropical local in GTA: Vice City way back in October 2002, with the game taking place in the 80s. Again, the official trailer from Rockstar has shown the leak was legit.
We’ll soon find out about everything that GTA 6 has to offer now that the game’s first trailer sheds some much-needed light on one of the most anticipated games of all time. Expect more details in the future, and hopefully that all-important GTA 6 release date soon.
Last updated: September 13, 2024