Everything we know about GTA 6: Expected release date, leaks and more
It's the million dollar question - when is Grand Theft Auto 6 coming out?
GTA 6 is without a doubt one of the most hyped games in development right now. There's been precious little officially revealed about the next Grand Theft Auto game, aside from the fact that Rockstar Games is hard at work on it. However, as of today, that's no longer the case. Rockstar has confirmed that a trailer is coming in December.
Only hours prior, sources who spoke to Bloomberg journalist Jason Schrier, stated that the GTA6 official announcement could very well be released before this week is over. They were proven correct - although it's unclear whether this sudden announcement came early due to this reporting, or if it was already planned for a November 8 reveal.
These sources also said that a trailer for the game could very well be released in December. This info was(broadly) corroborated by VGC reporter Andy Robinson too, and was also proven accurate as part of the official Rockstar Games statement made today.
Although we still don't have many details about the game, there are plenty of rumors floating around, including a major leak that put early development footage onto the internet. Piecing together all of these singular bits of information can get confusing, so here's everything that we know about GTA 6 so far. We've rounded-up all the latest leaks to give you the lowdown on the expected GTA 6 release date, when the reveal trailer could drop, details on the characters and plot, plus much more.
If you want to know what the VG247 team wants from the next Grand Theft Auto game, then make sure you check out our GTA 6 wishlist too.
GTA 6 release date
It looks like the release window for GTA 6 is between the start of April 2024 and the end of March 2025. That's when the next financial year runs, which is when Rockstar's parent company Take-Two expects a big uptick in earnings. This potential release window lines up with what other industry insiders have said, with their sources indicating a GTA 6 release date in 2024 or 2025.
While the GTA 6 release date hasn't been officially confirmed, the release date window appeared to be narrowed down after a Take-Two investors call in August 2023. During the call, the publisher said it anticipated "record levels of operating performance" and a whopping $8 billion to be generated in Net Bookings during the next fiscal year. Net Bookings is the money exchanged for a service, and for Take-Two it would encompass game sales, microtransactions and more. This massive amount of income, which would be almost $3 billion more than T2's current best fiscal year, seems to hint at a major new release in the next financial year, and a title which could drive these earnings is an eagerly anticipated game like GTA 6.
The next Take-Two investors call is taking place on Wednesday 6 November 2023, and fans are hoping we could finally get our first official look at GTA 6 before then. In fact, Take-Two stock has been upgraded by financial analysts ahead of this call, which could be a sign that experts are anticipating an imminent announcement.
GTA 6 trailer
We now know that a trailer for GTA6 will be coming in December, thanks to an official statement by Rockstar Games.
We are very excited to let you know that in early December, we will release the first trailer for the next Grand Theft Auto. We look forward to many more years of sharing these experiences with all of you.
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) November 8, 2023
Thank you,
Sam Houser
This statement, written by Rockstar president Sam Houser, declared that it would be going live in "early December", although no other details on what exactly we can expect to see in this trailer has been revealed from official Rockstar sources.
Rumours and leaks surrounding the long-awaited reveal of a GTA6 trailer have been circulating for some time. Posting in the GTA Forums towards the end of August 2023, TezFunz2 said: "Everything seems to line up for a high likelihood of Rockstar announcing VI soon. Probably in the coming months."
On Reddit another alleged leaker also claimed the GTA 6 trailer would get revealed imminently, and detailed what to expect from the trailer. Interestingly, their post was given the 'Leak' flair by moderators after they allegedly sent proof backing up their claims. Plenty of posts claiming to have leaked GTA 6 info have been shared on the GamingLeaksAndRumours subreddit, but most are labelled as fake or debunked after getting exposed as bogus. The post, which you should still take with a big pinch of salt, claims among other things that the song used in the GTA 6 reveal trailer is That's All by Genesis. This, at least, sounds somewhat believable, as Rockstar loves Phil Collins. Genesis and Collins' solo songs have all appeared in multiple GTA games, with the singer even appearing in GTA Vice City Stories.
While Rockstar has already confirmed work is underway on the next GTA, it hasn't said much else. We're still yet to get any official in-game screenshots of the game, a trailer for it, details on the plot, characters, setting, or name for it. Basically, hardly anything official has been announced - and this upcoming reveal trailer could very well set GTA 6 up for its rumored release date in 2024 or 2025.
With the GTA 6 trailer does drop in late 2023, it will be arriving around 12 years after GTA 5 was first revealed. Our first look at Trevor, Michael and Franklin's crime-filled adventures in Los Santos came in November 2011.
Until Rockstar Games reveals the first GTA 6 trailer, be careful of getting too excited when you click on one of the convincing fan-made trailers out there. The real Rockstar Games YouTube channel is where the GTA 6 trailer will drop when it inevitably comes out.
GTA 6 reveal
We now know that the first reveal of GTA6 will be happening in "early December", although whether this will be a gameplay trailer or just a fancy cinematic showcase of the game remains to be seen. This news comes after years of speculation, leaks, and bogus info.
In September 2023, an unverified recording went viral which allegedly featured Strauss Zelnick talking about the GTA 6 launch and reveal plans. The clip allegedly featured the CEO of Rockstar's parent company Take-Two saying GTA 6 would be revealed on 23 October 2023 and released 12 months later. While this sent the hype meter through the roof for plenty of gamers, some fans called into question the authenticity of the recording, with speculation it could be AI generated or a doctored recording. Separately, another rumor from leaker Chris Marxx claimed GTA 6 would get revealed on 26 October 2023. While these rumors generated plenty of excitement, both of these dates came and passed without any announcements from Rockstar.
A voice record from the CEO of Rockstar’s publisher has allegedly been leaked, where he talks about the reveal and launch of GTA 6. Reveal: October 23rd this year. Launch: October 2024. Do you think it’s real or AI?
— GTA 6 Trailer Countdown (@GTAVI_Countdown) September 3, 2023
As rumors swirled around an imminent reveal, Rockstar dropped a few interesting, official pictures that left fans convinced a big announcement on GTA 6 was being subtly teased. The image was shared on the developer's official Twitter account, and in a newswire blog post about upcoming events and updates for GTA Online. One of these pictures, which promoted a new cosmetic to celebrate the Moon Festival, was framed in an interesting way.
It featured two characters standing in front of the Vinewood sign in Los Santos, wearing a Red Happy Moon Tee. But where they were standing obscured a few letters from the Vinewood sign, so the first letters that could be seen in the picture were 'VI'. Which, naturally, led to fans thinking an announcement on GTA VI was getting subtly teased. Rockstar then followed this up a few weeks later with another similar image posted on the GTA+ website, which shows a taxi by the Vinewood sign. A few letters are obscured, with what's left on display being 'VINEW', which some fans again took as a subtle tease.
Update: the Vinewood sign appears again, showing “VI” and “NEW” in a picture Rockstar posted on a GTA newswire. Do you think it’s a teaser or just a coincidence?
— GTA 6 NEWS (@GTAVInewz) October 16, 2023
Elsewhere, amid rumors of an imminent GTA 6 reveal an actor rumored to be voicing one of the protagonists also dropped a video which sent the rumor mill spinning. The actor is Bryan Zampella, and for years rumors have been swirling around that he's voicing the male protagonist in GTA 6. Zampella has dropped plenty of hints that have fed into this, with fans left divided as to whether Zampella is genuinely involved in GTA 6, or just pulling their leg.
Franklin's voice actor hanging out with the alleged GTA 6 actor carrying a mysterious brief case
— GTA 6 NEWS (@GTAVInewz) September 15, 2023
In September 2023, a video Zampella shot with Shawn Fonteno, the VA for Franklin in GTA 5, emerged - which showed the pair looking at the contents of a mysterious briefcase. The video has plenty of GTA-style profanity and F-bombs, so isn't suitable for youngsters. And while it could be completely unrelated to GTA 6, it has fed into the rumors that an announcement could be on the horizon.
GTA 6 announcement
After years of speculation and rumors, the next Grand Theft Auto game was officially announced in February 2022. Rockstar Games confirmed work on the eagerly anticipated game in a very low key manner, dropping a brief announcement on Twitter, and at the bottom of a Newswire post on their official website.
The announcement was only a few lines long, but at least confirmed work is underway on it. Announcing the development of the next GTA, Rockstar Games said: "Many of you have been asking about a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series.
"With every new project, our goal is always to significantly move beyond what we've previously delivered. We're pleased to confirm that active development for the next entry in the series is underway."
Many of you have been asking about a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series. With every new project, our goal is always to significantly move beyond what we've previously delivered. We're pleased to confirm that active development for the next entry in the series is underway.
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) February 4, 2022
GTA 6 platforms
Platforms for GTA 6 haven't been announced yet, but according to a report from Insider Gaming, the next Grand Theft Auto game will only be available for the latest generation of consoles. Which would mean PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, as well as PC.
Besides these platforms, it's rumored a Grand Theft Auto game could be coming to Netflix's gaming library. It's unclear which GTA title could be heading to the service, but Eurogamer reported that Netflix had held discussions about licensing a GTA game as it looks to move into "higher-end" gaming.
GTA 6 graphics
The graphics in GTA 6 could be quite something, if rumors are to be believed. According to an alleged leak from French publication Rockstar Mag, the graphical leap between GTA 6 and Rockstar's most recent title, Red Dead Redemption 2, will be even bigger than the gap between GTA 5 and RDR2.
GTA 5 first launched ten years ago in September 2013 for Xbox 360 and PS3, before later coming to PC, PS4, Xbox One and more recently PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Red Dead Redemption 2, meanwhile, has only launched on PS4, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia - but it did manage to push the graphical boundaries of what the last generation of consoles were capable of.
According to the rumor mill, GTA 6 will be the first Rockstar Games title developed solely for the current generation of consoles. And if that's the case, Rockstar Mag's report indicates it will make the most of being developed for the latest line of hardware.
GTA 6 location
The setting for GTA 6 is another big topic of speculation, but everyone seems to agree on one thing - that Vice City looks to be the location of the next Grand Theft Auto. Numerous leakers have claimed GTA 6 will be set in Vice City, including Inside Gaming, a YouTube channel known for its insider reports. Vice City is a fictional location based on Miami, and it first appeared in the PS2 classic Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
While it's always best to take rumors with a pinch of salt, it would make sense that Rockstar revisits Vice City next. All of the locations from the PS2 era of GTA games have since been featured in more recent mainline Grand Theft Auto games, apart from the fictional version of Miami. Liberty City from GTA 3 appeared in Grand Theft Auto 4, while Los Santos from GTA: San Andreas was the setting of GTA 5.
While Rockstar Games hasn't officially announced the location of GTA 6, they could have dropped an easter egg hinting at the game's setting in the remastered version of San Andreas. Back in 2021, when Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition launched, eagle-eyed fans spotted a picture frame hanging up in a building in San Andreas, which showed a house that had more advanced visuals than the graphics seen in the remasters.
The curious picture, which fans thought could secretly be the first in-game picture of GTA 6, was spotted hanging on a wall at the Lil’ Probe’Inn. Cyber sleuths dug into the image a bit more, and think it's based on a real-life home in Miami, which could be a subtle tease about the location of the next GTA game.
Another #GTATrilogy mystery hunt. The Lil' Probe'Inn has an unidentified house amongst the UFO photo display... GTAVI? (jk) (or am I, where is this from?)
— Kirsty (@kirstycloud) November 16, 2021
GTA 6 map
While Vice City is rumored to be the main location of GTA 6, it's also thought that parts of GTA 6 will take place in Cuba. This is according to a video posted by Tyler McVicker, a YouTuber known for his leaks about Half-Life makers Valve. The Cuba map is thought to tie into a rumored drug running plotline in GTA 6.
A report from Bloomberg published in July 2022 also claimed GTA 6 will take place in more than one location. And whatever map GTA 6 ends up launching with, it's rumored more cities and missions will get added regularly after launch, with the map getting expanded in a similar way to a live service game that grows and evolves as time goes on. GTA 6’s game world is expected to be bigger than ever, with "more interior locations than previous Grand Theft Auto games" as well.
People actually thought GTA 6 would be set in Portland a number of years ago. However, this was just a rumor that popped up because of a Portland real estate company's blog post about a GTA game set in the city. Rockstar also considered Tokyo as a setting for a separate game but then realized that the road system would be "problematic."
GTA 6 protagonist
Since GTA 5 brought multiple protagonists to the series for the first time, there have been plenty of theories as to how Rockstar will handle playable characters in GTA 6. And all signs point to new ground for the franchise.
Multiple leaks have supported claims that GTA 6 will have a main playable female character for the very first time. The most notable one is the big GTA 6 leak from 2022, which showed two playable characters - one male and one female. This massive leak came after reports from Inside Gaming (formerly called The Know) and Bloomberg all pointed towards GTA 6 having a female protagonist for the first time in the series' history.
For their report, Bloomberg spoke to more than 20 current and former Rockstar employees. It claimed the female protagonist in GTA 6 will be a Latin woman who's part of a "Bonnie and Clyde" pair of robbers.
GTA 6 gameplay leak
In September 2022, GTA 6 was hit by a massive leak - with numerous pictures and gameplay videos of the next Grand Theft Auto leaking online. The footage that leaked was in-development, and it was published online after a network breach.
In the aftermath of the leak, Rockstar Games took to Twitter to address it. The GTA makers confirmed they had suffered a "network intrusion", and early development footage for the next Grand Theft Auto had been "illegally accessed". A teenager in the UK was later arrested.
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) September 19, 2022
In the aftermath of the leak, developers from across the industry started sharing their own pre-release builds to show early development footage isn't representative of what the final product ends up looking like. We're not going to say too much more about the leaks here, because they are bad news for everyone involved, but do check out Steve Burns' thoughts on what leaking in general can mean for the industry.
GTA 6 development
Rockstar North, who has made every single mainline GTA game since the franchise started in the '90s, are thought to be the developers of GTA 6. While the development studio looks to have stayed the same, there have been plenty of other changes at Rockstar that impact the future of the GTA series.
In 2020 Dan Houser, who co-founded Rockstar Games and was one of the key creatives behind many of the studio's most beloved games, left the GTA and Red Dead Redemption makers. Houser's departure came a number of years after another key member of Rockstar Games, Leslie Benzies, also left the studio. Benzies was the designer of both GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption. In August 2023, it was reported that Mike Unsworth, the VP of Writing at Rockstar Games, had seemingly left the GTA makers as well.
What is Project Americas?
There are plenty of alleged leaks about GTA 6, which can make it difficult to keep up. One of the early alleged leaks was dubbed "Project Americas" by fans in the GTA community. The leak is referred to as "Project Americas" because that's allegedly the codename Rockstar is using for it. The alleged leak detailed information including possible locations and features in the upcoming game.
Industry insiders have since gone on to claim that this leak was fake – or at least mostly fake. You can read it, but don't believe everything it contains. It will likely inform a lot of the internet speculation you see about GTA 6 before release, so you'll at least know where it came from.
GTA 6 pre-orders
There aren’t any GTA 6 pre-orders yet, which shouldn't be that surprising. After all, the release date is still unknown. We’ll update this section when pre-order information becomes available.
GTA 6 returning characters
Some fans have asked whether or not GTA 5’s three protagonists – Franklin, Trevor, and Michael – will return in GTA 6. That's kind of iffy, considering they were reportedly supposed to appear in single-player DLC that never materialized. With that, it seems their stories wrapped up at the end of GTA 5.
That's with the exception of Franklin, who appeared in the GTA Online The Contract missions.
However, it's likely that some names and faces from old games will reappear in some way. For example, lawyer Ken Rosenburg represented Tommy from Vice City and CJ from San Andreas. Lazlow Jones pops up in multiple GTA games, but to be fair, he's based on one of the people writing the game's script.
Grand Theft Auto is a series known for its Easter Eggs. Even if older characters don't play a starring role in proceedings, it's very possible you will be able to find some familiar faces hidden around the city.
Looking for more GTA 6 content? Find out how Rockstar Games is embracing modding ahead of the launch of the next Grand Theft Auto. We've also got the lowdown on a Take-Two patent that could hint at smarter NPCs in GTA 6. Make sure you also check out our opinion piece on why GTA 6 needs to break away its past, and usher in a new tone.