GTA 6 is officially coming, and with it signals the return to Rockstar's blend of open-world action. Excitingly, the highly anticipated next entry will be taking us back to the streets of Vice City in a modern take on the locales of the iconic 2006 release that was set in the '80s.
We've been waiting for a sequel since the launch of GTA 5, which came our way over 11 years ago. But thanks to the GTA 6 trailer, which dropped back in late 2023, the return of the action-adventure is in our sights. Ever since that trailer landed over a year ago, the speculation among fans hasn't stopped, with many excitingly theorizing on what's to come.
But with our first glimpse at the setting of Leonida, a look at the two main protagonists, and lots of hints about the direction of the game, there's plenty to explore in our GTA 6 trailer breakdown.
In what will undoubtedly be one of the biggest new games coming our way, read on below as we take you through everything we know so far about GTA 6, from the launch date window to its expected platforms, and much more.
GTA 6 Release window
GTA 6 release date window: 2025 confirmed
Currently, GTA 6's release date has been narrowed down to Fall 2025. Previously, the trailer had only revealed a vaguer 2025 launch window, with Fall later confirmed in Take-Two financial report back in May.
While this seemingly put to rest a report via Kotaku suggesting GTA 6 may be pushed into 2026, former Rockstar dev Obbe Vermeij recently explained that Rockstar "is probably not in a position to determine whether they will hit 2025 until May-ish", citing the delay of GTA 4, which was made around four months before the release date. Vermeij also said that GTA 6 will sell "10+ years" since there's "no competition", meaning that Rockstar is "not going to release the game until they're 100% happy".
Rumors of a delay began in early 2024 after the news that Rockstar moved all of its employees back to full-time in-office work five days a week, which multiple of its developers have expressed concern about, particularly when it comes to the potential effects on the sequel. While there's still speculation doing the rounds that it might not make the window, for now, the GTA 6 release date of Fall 2025 remains.
GTA 6 Trailer
GTA 6 trailer: Watch it here
The GTA 6 reveal trailer is here, and it's everything that we hoped it would be. While Rockstar had originally set the GTA 6 trailer release date for Tuesday, December 5, a leak pushed the publisher to get the long-awaited first look at the new Grand Theft Auto out into the world a little earlier.
The GTA 6 trailer, which you can view above, gives us a first look at the return to Vice City and the new twin protagonists. It's a great first look, but already, fans are anxious to see the second trailer. However, no firm release date has been announced for the second GTA 6 trailer just yet. We've currently got our bets on December for a second trailer, so fingers crossed.
While we are still waiting for Rockstar to drop more teasers, you can check out our list of the best games like GTA to play now.
GTA 6 Platforms
GTA 6 platforms: PS5 and Xbox Series X/S confirmed
So far, it has been confirmed that GTA 6 will be coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S when it arrives in 2025.
The news came by way of an official press release from Take Two, which states that: "GTA 6 is coming to PlayStation 5 computer entertainment systems and Xbox Series X|S games and entertainment systems in 2025." Exciting stuff!
With the PS5 Pro now in play, we don't yet know if GTA 6 will be among the PS5 Pro enhanced games. According to a tech expert, however, it likely won't run at 60fps on the console, even if it has "higher quality visuals". We'll have to wait and see.
Will GTA 6 be on PS4 and Xbox One?
As revealed in the official press release, GTA 6 is currently only slated to arrive on the PS5 and Xbox Series X and won't be coming to PS4 or Xbox One when it launches in 2025 - making it a current-gen exclusive.
Will GTA 6 have a PC release?
There's currently no mention of a PC launch, which might suggest it will follow a similar route to some of the previous GTA games that released on consoles first, before arriving on PC at a later date. Our best bet is that PC players will have to wait until 2026 to play on their preferred platform...sorry folks.
Our hopes for a quick PC release follow-up are basically shattered at this point, as according to a former developer, GTA 6 on PC will likely take a while, with PS5 taking priority as Rockstar focuses on "what sells".
That's corroborated by another former developer, who said the GTA 6 PC launch probably won't come for "a long time." We will keep you updated if any details change, but for now, PC players can play all the major GTA games on PC while they wait for the new title.
You can read our five-star Grand Theft Auto 5 review if you fancy a replay.
GTA 6 Characters
GTA 6 characters: Introducing Lucia
During the official trailer, we were introduced to the protagonists of GTA 6, with a focus on the first GTA 6 female lead, Lucia. While there's still much we've yet to learn about her as a character, the trailer gives us some hints, with her wearing prison clothing, which tells us she's clearly had some trouble with the law.
Not only that, but Lucia is shown on multiple occasions with an unnamed male character, who looks set to play a main role in the next entry - while he's been unofficially referred to as both Jason and James in the past, we've not had confirmation on his name.
The pair appear to share a bond, or a kind of Bonnie and Clyde-like relationship, and speak of trust as they get stuck into some crime together.
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GTA 6 Location
GTA 6 location: We're heading back to Vice City
GTA 6 is taking us back to Vice City. While the original game was set in 1986, this new 2025 release is set to take place in what appears to be a modern day setting. Rockstar revealed we'll be heading to the state of Leonida which is "home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond". Set to be the "biggest, most immersive evolution of Grand Theft Auto yet", Vice City appears to be a part of a bigger map that will form GTA 6.
The trailer has already given us a glimpse of a Vice City made prettier than ever, with a take on rural Florida that's every bit as chaotic as the real thing. With some familiar spots such as Starfish Island, we'll have to wait and see if we're able to visit old haunts like the Malibu Club, Ocean View Hotel, Little Haiti, remains to be seen.
As we saw in the trailer, it's Fans have already been comparing the new trailer to the locations from the original Vice City, which demonstrates how incredibly detailed the updated take on the location is.
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GTA 6 News
GTA 6 announcement: When was GTA 6 confirmed?
The first GTA 6 announcement came in February 2022, when Rockstar Games snuck out the news that GTA 6 is "well underway" as part of a broader GTA 5 and GTA Online Community Update. With word that Grand Theft Auto 6 is in "active development", Rockstar said: "On behalf of our entire team, we thank you all for your support and cannot wait to step into the future with you!"
In August 2022, Rockstar's parent company Take-Two Interactive reaffirmed that GTA 6 development is "well underway" as part of the company's financial results report. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick made some big promises for what GTA 6 will achieve: "With development of the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series well underway, the Rockstar Games team is determined to once again set creative benchmarks for the series, our industry, and for all entertainment, just as the label has done with every one of their frontline releases."
GTA 6 News
There hasn't been much official GTA 6 news besides the recently clarified release window update confirming that the game is on track to release sometime in Fall 2025. But we have had some Rockstar employees teasing features and the trailer to unpack.
Of course, we have also had the massive leak—which you can read about below—and responses to that leak, but otherwise, the developer has been pretty quiet on the highly anticipated sequel.
- GTA 6 might already be using AI-powered animation tech, says San Andreas dev: "If anyone is going to make that step it's going to be Rockstar"
- Rockstar developers react to the GTA 6 trailer leak: "Well, that F***ing sucks"
- GTA 6 has to do the impossible - "reflect the feeling" of the series while also being "something never seen before"
- The GTA 6 trailer wasn't just cinematics, according to a former Rockstar developer who says "It's really gonna look like this"
- Rockstar is "seeking perfection" for GTA 6 and will release it when it's "optimized creatively"
- GTA 6 could be the most important thing "to ever release in the industry, so no pressure," reliable analyst predicts
- GTA 6 publisher says "perfection is hard to measure," but Rockstar is trying to create "an experience that no one has seen before"
- GTA 6 publisher CEO says he wants to "vastly over-deliver" on price and offer "more value than what we charge"
GTA 6 Leaks
GTA 6 leaks: Are the GTA 6 leaks real?
There was an unprecedented GTA 6 leak on September 18, 2022, which saw dozens of videos and screenshots from an alleged in-development build of the game spread online. Are you wondering whether the GTA 6 leaks are real? Well, Rockstar has since issued a statement confirming the hack: "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," the Rockstar statement continues. "We will update everyone again soon and, of course, will properly introduce you to this next game when it's ready. We want to thank everyone for their ongoing support through this situation."
In the 48 hours since the GTA 6 leak first appeared, the GTA Forums have worked to scrub all remnants of the illegally obtained screenshots and videos to avoid being "obliterated by Rockstar". The dedicated GTA 6 reddit has also taken all links, pictures, and videos of the leak offline, and has committed to staying online with one condition: "We will allow discussions related to the leak without attaching the leaks. We don't allow comments that has [sic] download links to the leak."
Since then, Rockstar and parent company Take-Two have spoken out about the leaks. In a recent earnings call, CEO of GTA publisher Take-Two Interactive, Strauss Zelnick said that the leak was "terribly unfortunate", before adding that "we take those sorts of incidents very seriously indeed".
"There's no evidence that any material assets were taken, which is a good thing, and certainly the leak won't have any influence on development or anything of the sort. But it is terribly disappointing, and causes us to be ever more vigilant on matters relating to cybersecurity."
The latest update on all of this is that the teenager accused of massive GTA 6 leak has been deemed psychiatrically unfit for trial. Reuters reports that 18-year-old Arion Kurtaj, a member of the Lapsus$ hacking group has been assessed by psychiatrists who have deemed him unfit to stand trial for himself.
Interestingly, there's one leaked GTA 6 screenshot that is the sole survival of a Rockstar copyright "nuke". Seems like just a single frame has escaped the all-encompassing copyright claims Rockstar has waved across the internet.
Will GTA 6 be delayed?
In the immediate aftermath of the GTA 6 leak, there was some concern over how the intrusion would impact ongoing development of the new Grand Theft Auto game. Rockstar has since confirmed in an official statement that the hack will not affect GTA 6 production, or the ongoing security of GTA 5 and GTA Online.
"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 [...] 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."
GTA 6 Map
GTA 6 map: new details
While the final GTA 6 map is yet to be shown, there are some indicators from the leaked video and screens that indicate a play space that stretches beyond the confines of Vice City.
Much in the same way Rockstar expanded upon Los Santos between Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and GTA 5, a few of the leaked screenshots appear to show all-new areas of Vice City. As you may know, Vice City itself is loosely based on Miami, and there's now speculation that GTA 6 will push further south toward the Everglades (a wetland) and the Florida Keys (a string of tropical islands).
Now, the "Gator Keys" were referenced in the original GTA: Vice City as part of a radio broadcast, but the location was never shown in-game. If the screenshots suggest what we think they are, expect the GTA 6 map to contain a mixture of environment types.
Interestingly, fans are convinced that the GTA 6 map will be much larger than that of GTA 5. Using leaked GTA 6 coordinates, the GTA 6 subreddit fans are trying to map out the map itself, and later started stitching GTA 6's map together using Google Earth and Paint. Clever folks.
GTA 6 Gameplay
GTA 6 gameplay
As Rockstar is yet to release an unvarnished GTA 6 gameplay trailer, it's difficult for us to say with certainty how this new game will play and how it will innovate on Grand Theft Auto 5. However, it's clear from the early development footage which leaked out that Rockstar is at least investigating and playtesting some new mechanics.
For example, it appears that a new series of stealth mechanics is being introduced – with footage depicting characters crawling while prone and even carrying bodies.
Additionally, the weapon wheel – which was overhauled for GTA 5 – is returning in some capacity, and the leaked footage suggests that Rockstar is introducing new health buff items such as painkillers. We can also see that the Five Star 'Wanted' system is returning, and that the VCPD have improved AI routines for tracking Jason and Lucia after you get on their radar.
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