Latest Update (September 25, 2025): Good news for eager fans! Rockstar and Take-Two confirm that the highly anticipated GTA 6 release date is still on schedule, pushing past recent rumors of a second delay.
Wondering when you can finally dive into the world of Grand Theft Auto 6? After years of dedicated development, Rockstar Games, known for its meticulously crafted open-world experiences, is finally ready to share details about its next blockbuster. While Rockstar typically keeps development under wraps, parent company Take-Two has now provided a clear timeline for the game’s arrival.
The journey to the Grand Theft Auto 6 release has been a long one, marked by significant leaks of early gameplay and development footage last year. These incidents fueled immense speculation, but now, we have definitive confirmations regarding the GTA 6 release date, its compelling story, and its immersive setting. We’ve gathered all the breaking news, official trailers, and key insights right here to keep you fully informed.
When is GTA 6 Coming Out?
Mark your calendars! The official launch date for GTA 6 is set for Tuesday, May 26, 2026. This initial release will be for Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, with the PC version expected to follow later in the year.
Rockstar is rolling out the game at midnight across all time zones, meaning players in New Zealand will be among the first to experience it. If you’re eager to secure your copy, GTA 6 is already available to wishlist on both the Xbox and PlayStation stores. PC gamers will likely need to wait a bit longer for digital storefront listings to appear after the console launch.
GTA 6 PC Release: What to Expect
During the TD Cowen 52nd Annual Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick touched upon the PC release, stating, “Rockstar has an approach to platforms which we’ve seen before, and they will make more announcements in due time.”
Historically, Rockstar titles often debut on consoles first, with a PC version arriving a bit later. Based on past trends and Zelnick’s comments, we anticipate the GTA 6 PC release to fall roughly six months to a year after its console counterpart.
Has GTA 6 Been Delayed?
Rumors of a potential second delay for GTA 6 have been circulating, sparked by comments from industry insider Tom Henderson. He expressed doubt about a May release, noting that “all the rumblings… just doesn’t seem to suggest it.”
While unconfirmed, other notable leakers like Millie A have hinted at a possible slip to September, and a GTA forum user, GameRoll, claimed “Chapter 5 is in development hell.” It’s important to remember these are unverified claims, though the sources have a history of accurate leaks.
Despite the chatter, Take-Two’s latest earnings call firmly states that GTA 6 is still on course for its May 2026 release. CEO Strauss Zelnick reinforced this, declaring his “very, very high” conviction in the current date during a CNBC interview.
This reassurance comes after an earlier delay this year, where Rockstar Games moved the launch date. They issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter), apologizing for the delay but emphasizing the need for extra time to “deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.” Take-Two echoed this sentiment, fully supporting Rockstar’s decision to extend development to achieve their creative vision.
Initially, Take-Two’s fiscal year 2024 earnings call scheduled GTA 6 for 2025. Rockstar Games founder Sam Houser’s announcement highlighted their aim to “push the limits of what’s possible in highly immersive, story-driven open-world experiences.” The first trailer also indicated a 2025 console release. It’s safe to assume the May 2026 date also applies primarily to consoles, with the PC release likely later in that year.
How Much Will GTA 6 Cost?
While an official price for GTA 6 hasn’t been announced, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has assured investors that it will be “fair.” However, with many new releases hitting an $80 price point, the cost of GTA 6 is a significant topic of discussion. Zelnick emphasized their commitment to “deliver more value than what we charge.”
Despite this, a $100 price tag remains a possibility, especially considering potential deluxe and collector’s editions packed with extra content and merchandise. Industry analyst Matthew Ball, in his “The State of Video Gaming in 2025” report, even predicted GTA 6 could reach this price, potentially setting a new standard and addressing what he calls “industry deflation.”
The announcement of GTA 6 has already significantly boosted Take-Two’s stock, a trend expected to continue as more details emerge. Analysts project that pre-order sales alone could exceed $1 billion, solidifying the game’s role as a cornerstone in Take-Two’s strategy to achieve over $8 billion in net bookings and $1 billion in adjusted operating cash flow.
Will GTA 6 Be on Game Pass Day One?
It’s highly unlikely that Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch on Game Pass, either for console or PC. Strauss Zelnick explicitly stated in a recent interview that a day-one Game Pass release for GTA 6 is not in the cards.
For a while now, there’s been speculation about a marketing exclusivity deal between Rockstar and Sony. The second trailer, which prominently featured PS5 gameplay and even a Dualshock-like controller in a scene with Jason and Lucia, further supports this theory. This suggests Rockstar is not prioritizing Xbox Game Pass integration at launch.
Official GTA 6 Trailers
The highly anticipated GTA 6 trailer 2 dropped on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, hot on the heels of the release date confirmation. This trailer gives us our first proper introduction to the game’s two protagonists, Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, as they reunite following Lucia’s prison release. What follows is a thrilling, Bonnie-and-Clyde-esque crime spree through Vice City, complete with a fantastic selection of tracks from the upcoming GTA 6 soundtrack.
The trailer 2 description offers a concise overview of the GTA 6 story: “Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida – forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.”
The first GTA 6 trailer made an early debut due to leaks, originally scheduled for December 5, 2023, but released a day prior by Rockstar Games. This 91-second preview confirmed the series’ return to the iconic Vice City, showcasing several familiar locations like the Malibu Club and Ocean Drive.
The surprise arrival of trailer 2 put to rest months of fervent speculation, including a popular “moon theory” that incorrectly predicted an earlier reveal. It’s worth remembering that Rockstar has a history of cleverly embedding easter eggs for upcoming titles within existing GTA Online updates.
Despite some fan hopes, a major GTA 6 appearance at Gamescom 2025 remained unlikely, even with Rockstar’s logo spotted on a booth facade. This was more likely related to Take-Two and 2K Games promoting other titles. However, the game did receive a humorous mention from Ben Schwartz at Gamescom, teasing its revised release window.
Latest GTA 6 Leaks and Rumors
Following the second trailer’s release, new information surfaced from GameRoll, citing a source who accurately revealed Jason and Lucia’s surnames early on. While these leaks are unverified, they offer intriguing insights:
- The GTA 6 story is reportedly divided into five chapters, with the second trailer’s cutscenes covering only the first three.
- The classic six-star wanted level is rumored to make a return.
- Limited carry capacity is expected, with Jason’s car trunk potentially serving as essential storage for extra gear – a detail supported by trailer footage.
- Rockstar is said to be drawing inspiration from Red Dead Redemption 2, possibly including an honor-based relationship system and a “dead-eye” ability that Jason and Lucia can utilize differently.
- Players might have the option to control each protagonist individually or simultaneously, depending on the scenario.
Verifying GTA 6 leaks is always challenging, but some stand out more than others. In September 2022, one of gaming history’s largest data breaches saw 90 videos (53 minutes, 26 seconds) of test footage leaked online. This early footage confirmed previous reports of both male and female playable characters, as highlighted by Bloomberg.
Notable clips from the leak included Lucia and Jason executing a diner robbery, reminiscent of a scene from Pulp Fiction. Other videos showed Lucia observing street life and Jason exploring a nightclub. The individual responsible for this significant data breach was later arrested.
Another leak, a brief glimpse of the map, appeared on TikTok just days before the official trailer. However, the trailer itself soon leaked on X (formerly Twitter) less than 24 hours before its scheduled reveal. Rockstar Games responded by officially releasing the full trailer immediately, urging fans to “watch the real thing.”
Latest Official GTA 6 News
Despite the significant leak of game footage, Rockstar issued a statement expressing its “extreme disappointment” but assured fans that development on “the next Grand Theft Auto will continue as planned.”
The studio officially confirmed that “active development for the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series was well underway” in a community update on February 4, 2022. This announcement coincided with Rockstar scaling back support for Red Dead Online, redirecting more resources to the new Grand Theft Auto project.
Former Rockstar environmental artist David O’Reilly mentioned working on GTA 6 for five years before leaving the company in 2023, suggesting the game has been in development for a substantial eight years in total.
Unverified leaks propose GTA 6 could offer around 75 hours of gameplay, comprising five chapters and a prologue. In a 2019 interview, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick speculated that improved development tools and larger teams might lead to shorter gaps between game releases and potentially “a bit shorter” games, compensated by extensive post-launch content.
This approach could also serve to mitigate “crunch time” – an industry issue Rockstar has faced criticism for in the past. A 2020 Kotaku report indicated a management plan for the next GTA game to launch as a “moderately sized release” (still large by Rockstar’s standards) and then expand through regular updates, aiming to reduce developer stress.
GTA 6 Story Details
The GTA 6 trailers have provided concrete insights into the game’s narrative, firmly establishing a modern-day Vice City setting, rather than a return to the 80s. The trailers showcase a bustling, exaggerated version of Miami, with social media posts offering satirical glimpses into everyday life – from alligator wrestling and drive-by twerking to a woman in a nightgown wielding two hammers. While in-universe social media existed in GTA 5, its prominence here suggests Vice City’s more things change, the more they stay the same atmosphere.
We are formally introduced to Lucia, one of GTA 6’s two main protagonists, seen in an orange prison uniform speaking with a counselor. Her casual shrug – “Bad luck, I guess” – when asked about her incarceration, hints at a deeper narrative. The game’s story appears poised to trace her journey through the criminal underworld.
Jason, the second protagonist and Lucia’s partner-in-crime, also makes an appearance, though seemingly less central than Lucia. Their relationship is clearly intimate, a bond that will undoubtedly be tested by their criminal exploits.
Lucia’s voiceover, seemingly directed at Jason, declares, “The only way that we get through this is by sticking together. Being a team.” This theme of partnership is central to a tense cutscene where they flee police in a getaway car, Lucia clutching wads of cash. Multiple scenes depict them storming convenience stores and other establishments, faces obscured, guns drawn – promising a thrilling crime spree you won’t want to miss.
Trailer 2 also unveiled a host of new characters, including Jason’s friend and conspiracy theorist Cal Hampton, club icon and drug lord Boobie Ike, and popular rap duo Real Dimez. Each will play a role in Jason and Lucia’s unfolding story, ultimately driven by their own agendas.
Intriguingly, there’s speculation about a potential John Cena appearance in GTA 6. A cryptic Instagram post from the actor/wrestler, who has a history in video games, fueled these rumors. While it could simply be his excitement for the game, a cameo on the chaotic streets of Vice City isn’t entirely out of the question.
GTA 6 Gameplay Features
Based on leaked footage, the core GTA 6 gameplay doesn’t appear drastically different from GTA 5. Former Rockstar developer Obbe Vermeij even suggested that some players “might be a little disappointed” upon release, though he remains confident it will still “be the best game out there.”
Regarding the GTA 6 map, fan calculations from early leaks hint that this iteration of Vice City and its surrounding areas could be twice the size of GTA 5’s Los Santos. Interestingly, another former developer argued for a smaller, more densely packed map. Regardless, modders have already begun recreating the GTA 6 map within GTA 5’s engine, giving a tangible sense of its immense scale.
Rumors also suggest an evolving campaign map, with new areas or updates arriving via DLC, tailored to specific themes. The new GTA Online mode might also feature a dynamic map that changes and expands with each update.
As expected, players will have access to a variety of drivable vehicles, including cars and boats. Public transportation options will also facilitate fast travel across the city. Car customization appears to go beyond aesthetics, with players reportedly able to adjust steering wheel positions and seat angles. Former Rockstar developer Ben Hinchcliffe assures fans that creative freedom remains a priority, allowing players to “still do […] weird things.”
Raw test footage also showcased new movement mechanics, including a robust cover system, crouching, and crawling. Playable characters can even use their hands or weapons to guard their faces against headshots. One intriguing moment in the footage showed Jason using a new “vision ability” in a convenience store, visually similar to Red Dead Redemption’s Deadeye, though its exact function beyond color adjustment is yet unknown.
Further reports hint at a potential “GTA 6 metaverse,” akin to platforms like Fortnite and Roblox, driven by user-generated content. This initiative would enable creators to “modify the game’s environment and assets to bring their own intellectual property – and potentially their brand sponsors – into GTA’s virtual sandbox.” This follows rumors of Rockstar reaching out to prominent Roblox and Fortnite creators to explore custom in-game content for GTA 6.
This concludes our comprehensive overview of the GTA 6 release and news. The wait for this highly anticipated sequel to one of the best action-adventure games will be long, but in the meantime, you can explore the satirical management game, Grand Taking Ages, which pokes fun at GTA 6’s development, or test your rig against the predicted Grand Theft Auto 6 system requirements on PCGameBenchmark to see if your PC “Can I run GTA 6?”