GTA 6 might be the biggest video game release in the history of the industry.
Its predecessor, GTA 5, has sold more than 200 million units across three generations of consoles since it first released, and GTA 6 is expected to do even better.
Reportedly having already cost more than $1 billion to make, it's no surprise that the anticipation for GTA 6 is unlike anything we've ever seen before.
Since its reveal, developer Rockstar Games has gone through deafening silence, a major delay and an incredibly exciting trailer reveal - here's everything you need to know about the GTA 6 release date and more.
GTA 6 release date
GTA 6 will release on 26th May 2026.
This was confirmed via a social media post from developer Rockstar Games, announcing that the game was being delayed from its previous release window of 2025.
"We are very sorry that this is later than you expected. The interest and excitement surrounding a new Grand Theft Auto has been truly humbling for our entire team. We want to thank you for your support and your patience as we work to finish the game," the statement reads.
The GTA 6 release date had previously been on track for fall 2025, according to Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick in February 2025, as part of the company's quarterly earnings reports for October to December 2024.
"We’ve announced a pretty narrow window. So I think our view is that right now, that’s fine," said Zelnick (via Variety). They added: "And then when it’s appropriate, of course, Rockstar is going to have more to say."
It's worth noting that pretty much every Grand Theft Auto has been delayed at least once, with Rockstar's previous release, Red Dead Redemption II, delayed three times, and with the scale of this game, it's hardly a surprise to see another delay.
Why is GTA 6 taking so long?
With the massive size and scope of the latest Grand Theft Auto game, there are numerous reasons why GTA 6 is taking so long to come out.
For one, game development has only grown more advanced over the last decade, so creating a game of this magnitude naturally takes more time.
Another reason that is being cited is that Rockstar Games wants to be sure it is satisfied with the final product before launching, hoping not to disappoint fans.
What's more, the company feels safe to do this since the anticipation of GTA 6 puts it in a position to be a monumental best-seller whenever it comes out.
A former developer on the series, Obbe Vermeij, previously stated (via X) that the sixth instalment has no competition, so Rockstar has no need to panic about launching the game until it is absolutely happy with the final product.
Can you pre-order GTA 6?
No, pre-orders for GTA 6 are not yet available.
Going off past releases, pre-orders will likely not go live until a good six months or so out from the game. The likes of Amazon, GAME and such will likely upload placeholder pages in the meantime.
Once Rockstar announces a specific release date for GTA 6, pre-orders will shortly follow.
Is there a trailer for GTA 6?
Yes, Rockstar officially released the first GTA 6 trailer on 4th December 2023. However, it leaked several hours earlier than scheduled, forcing the developer to publish ahead of time.
The 90-second trailer provides a decent look at the state of Leonida, the main protagonist Lucia and her unknown male partner. During this, Tom Petty's Love Is a Long Road provides the GTA 6 soundtrack, potentially hinting at what sort of music will feature throughout.
We then had nearly a year and a half of radio silence when it comes to new info on the game until the second trailer was released out of nowhere in May 2025.
The second trailer has much more of a focus on story, with us getting our first real look at Lucia and Jason and their life of crime:
Where will the GTA 6 map be set?
The trailer confirmed that the map of GTA 6 will be set in Leonida, a fictional state based on Florida that includes the iconic Vice City – the fictional version of Miami previously featured in the original Grand Theft Auto, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.
It remains to be seen whether this means GTA 6 will cover the whole of Leonida's version of Florida beyond Vice City at launch or will be added as post-launch content.
A Bloomberg report claims: "Rockstar’s plan is now to continually update the game over time, adding new missions and cities regularly," so we'll have to wait until we get further clarification.
Punters have long suggested that the map will still be larger than both GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, and supposed GTA leaker Tez2 has noted that a 2022 GTA+ survey has asked select players if they'd use a fast-travel feature – which is therefore likely being considered for GTA 6.
Will GTA 6 story include first female protagonist?
Grand Theft Auto 6 will have two playable characters, one of whom is Lucia - the first playable female protagonist since the first top-down two-dimensional game.
A Bloomberg report from December 2023 claimed that GTA 6 "will include a playable female protagonist for the first time, according to people familiar with the game".
The report goes on to note: "The woman, who is Latina, will be one of a pair of leading characters in a story influenced by the bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde."
Touching on how this new instalment could modernise the GTA tone, the report adds: "Developers are also being cautious not to 'punch down' by making jokes about marginalised groups."
It's expected that players will be able to swap between the two protagonists, like in GTA 5, with Lucia and her partner Jason both being core characters to the story.
What platforms will GTA 6 be on?
The GTA 6 trailer and the game's website confirm that the game will be available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
There is currently no news on a GTA 6 PC port or its release date. Nevertheless, we're certain Rockstar has one in the works, given the huge player base Rockstar Games would be missing out on if they went console-exclusive forever.
As for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch, it's fair to say that GTA 6 won't come to any of these older platforms due to their underpowered hardware. The same is likely for the Switch 2 with GTA 5 having a better chance of coming to that console.
GTA 6 leaks
GTA 6 leaks keep giving us new details about the game before its launch. The latest supposed leaks suggest that the game will feature some impressive weather tech.
From the sounds of the leak, dynamic weather in GTA 6 could affect NPCs' behaviour and activities, with temperature even playing a part.
As with all leaks and rumours, it's worth taking everything with a hearty pinch of salt.
GTA 6 Countdown later reported that the new page was taken down but the code remains. Speculation says that Rockstar was likely preparing the page with more information before getting ready to launch digital purchases (pre-orders), which were also mentioned.
Whatever the case, the company isn't ready to reveal its content to the public just yet.
Our original report on the September 2022 leaks remains unchanged below:
90 videos of what is to be believed early development footage of GTA 6 leaked in September 2022, meaning we have some idea of what the game might entail. Before being taken down, the footage seemed to confirm the new female and male protagonists, alongside showcasing some open-world gameplay.
Rockstar subsequently confirmed the validity of the leaks, and added that it is "extremely disappointed to have any details of our next game shared with you all in this way". Despite the leak, though, Rockstar claims that its "work on the next Grand Theft Auto game will continue as planned". The full statement can be read below:
"We recently suffered a network intrusion in which an unauthorised third party illegally accessed and downloaded confidential information from our systems, including early development footage for the next Grand Theft Auto.
"At this time, we do not anticipate any disruption to our live game services nor any long-term effect on the development of our ongoing projects," said Rockstar.
"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."
As Reddit user u/Tobbelobben30 spotted in the GTA 6 subreddit, publisher Take-Two has patented an animation system that allows for "highly dynamic and realistic animations."
They went on to explain in layman's terms what this means.
"Based on this patent, it seems like they're using a clever system. They've built a library of small building blocks for character movements. These blocks can be combined in various ways to create a wide range of animations."
All these "building blocks" could be combined to infer how the player and other characters should move and react.
"Think about a character in the game walking in the rain, feeling tired or getting injured. Instead of designing separate animations for each of these situations, they use these building blocks to put together the character's movements naturally."
Very exciting stuff, then! Red Dead Redemption 2 already has an extremely reactive animation system, and given the amount of obsessive detail that is in that game, a Rockstar release six or so years on from then should be a visual powerhouse.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is set to launch on 26th May 2026 across PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
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