GTA 6 has been a long time coming. It's now been more than 12 years since the last installment in the wildly popular Grand Theft Auto series.
Rockstar gave us our very first look at what's sure to be one of the biggest video games ever back in December 2023, and this trailer features several rumors — a Vice City setting (GTA's take on Miami), and an introduction to the game's main characters, the series' first female protagonist.
This first trailer was naturally followed by another, which offered a confirmed GTA release date in May 2026. This means we're less than a year away from finally playing GTA 6 for ourselves. You can watch this new trailer below.
In unfortunate news, Rockstar suffered a data breach in late 2022, after a hacker illegally accessed and downloaded confidential data from the developer's servers that included over 90 videos of unfinished gameplay. The breach was confirmed by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, who spoke to a confidential source who says the event is a "nightmare for Rockstar".
In a letter to the public, Rockstar said that it was "extremely disappointed" with the data leak, but that work on GTA 6 would continue as planned and that the company would have more to share on the game's development in the future. This means that some leaked details are floating around, but due to how this information was obtained, we won't be reporting on it here.
Still, we've been keeping up to speed with all the latest GTA 6 news and have put it all together below. Just be aware that we've indulged in a good bit of speculation to fill in the many blanks that remain around the next GTA.
GTA 6 news (updated Oct. 1, 2025)
- GTA 6 has been delayed; it will now launch on May 26, 2026.
- GTA 6's first trailer launched early due to leaks
- Rockstar suffers major GTA 6 leak — here's what we know.
GTA 6: Release date
Rockstar Games announced that GTA 6 would launch in "Fall 2025" in the initial reveal trailer. However, ever since, there have been persistent rumors that the game would be delayed into 2026, and sadly, this is now the case.
In an official statement, Rockstar announced that "Grand Theft Auto 6 is now set to release May 26, 2026." The rest of the statements read:
"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.
"With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception. We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.
"We look forward to sharing more information with you soon."
Such a significant delay is definitely disappointing after more than a decade since the launch of GTA 5, but if Rockstar needs a bit more time to cook up something special, then we're willing to be patient.
GTA 6: Platforms
In a press release that dropped alongside GTA 6's first trailer, Take-Two (Rockstar's parent company) confirms that the game is coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X.
The statement makes no mention of a PS4 or Xbox One version, which makes sense as those consoles will be more than 13 years old by the time GTA 6 launches in May 2026. Curiously, the press release makes no mention of the game coming to PC either.
This lines up with a recent rumor that suggests that the game's PC port will be delayed an extra year after its console counterpart. So we may not be playing GTA 6 on one of the best gaming PCs until sometime in late 2026 (or even early 2027), or the game could ultimately skip the PC platform entirely.
GTA 6: Characters and story
The GTA series doesn't follow one particular set of characters or even take place in the same location in each installment. So anyone hoping to see more of Michael, Franklin, and Trevor should temper their expectations.
GTA 6's first trailer introduces us to the game's new dual protagonists — a "Bonnie and Clyde" style crime couple — we know the female half will be called Lucia, and her male partner is named Jason. As for the beats of the narrative, there's no doubt you'll be indulging in the usual mix of crimes and heists with the odd look into the strange lives of the heroes and villains. And there seems to be a big focus on social media spoofing this time around.
The second GTA 6 trailer, dropped in May 2025, gives us further insight with a new plot summary: "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 criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive."
GTA 6: Setting
GTA 6 will take place in Vice City. This location was first introduced to the series in 2002's GTA: Vice City and is essentially the franchise's satirical take on Miami, Florida.
While the original Vice City was famously set in the 80s — with a fitting soundtrack full of iconic tunes — it looks like GTA 6 will take place in the modern day. The trailers show a range of more recent tech, including smartphones and live streaming.
We're also hoping that the GTA 6 map will stretch beyond the borders of Vice City with a larger map that incorporates the Florida Everglades and even smaller towns surrounding a central hub of Vice City.
Promotional images have suggested this will be the case, showcasing woodland areas, murky swamps, and even underwater exploration. We're expecting the GTA 6 map to be among the biggest in franchise history.
In fact, super sleuth Reddit users have already been figuring out just how big the map is based on split-second screen clips of the trailer.
This shows how vast the map will be. Vice City is all the way out there! from r/GTA6
GTA 6 Online
GTA V has enjoyed a long life after its original release in 2013, thanks to the regularly updated GTA Online mode. This lets you play a large variety of game modes or just free-roam around the map with other players, gaining money you can then spend on cars, clothing, weapons and player housing.
It's practically a certainty that we'll see a sequel arrive alongside GTA 6. However, the two experiences may end up separate. GTA Online originally arrived a month after the single-player portion of GTA 5 launched, and with consoles now capable of installing specific parts of a game rather than the whole package, Rockstar may decide to separate the two modes entirely.
Either way, hopefully, there will be some way for long-time players of GTA Online to transfer their in-game earnings and items into the new game. Rockstar has earned a huge amount of money from players spending money on microtransactions in GTA Online, and no doubt some players don't want this to all disappear with the move to a new generation and a new city.
GTA 6: pre orders
Many players were likely sold on GTA 6 before even the first trailer dropped. The franchise is one of the biggest in all of entertainment, and any instalment is going to sell extremely well. It's no wonder many people are already asking where they can pre-order GTA 6 right now.
There are currently no pre-order details on GTA 6, but we expect that will change in late 2025 or early 2026. There may be a swanky collector's edition as well as a host of digital extras for those who commit their cash ahead of launch. We'll keep you updated once we have firm GTA 6 pre-order details.
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