With over 185 million copies sold, Grand Theft Auto 5 is easily the best-selling full-priced game of all time and among the most successful entertainment releases across all mediums. To this day, GTA 5 ranks among the most played games on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. However, it's been 10 years since its debut, and fans are eager for a new addition to the Grand Theft Auto series.
In anticipation of Rockstar’s next open-world adventure, we’ve compiled this comprehensive overview of everything we know about Grand Theft Auto 6, including the first trailer, release window, platforms, setting, gameplay, and more.
GTA 6 Trailer
The first Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer has been released — see it above! The 90-second debut trailer was expected to drop on December 5, though a leak led Rockstar to release it a day early.
The trailer reached over 100 million views within two days. It broke the record for the most-viewed video game reveal on YouTube over 24 hours and the most-viewed non-music video on YouTube in 24 hours.
GTA 6 Release Window
GTA 6 has officially been set to release in 2025. Rockstar revealed the release window alongside the first trailer in early December. A specific timeframe within 2025 has not been announced.
GTA 6 Platforms
GTA 6 will launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. A PC version is expected, but it was not listed among GTA 6's launch platforms. Rockstar’s two latest original releases — GTA 5 and Red Dead 2 — were released on PC at least a year after debuting on consoles.
GTA 6 Setting
Grand Theft Auto 6 will return to Vice City — the franchise’s stand-in for Miami — which is set within the broader map of Leonida (Florida). The debut trailer riffs on just a few of the weird and wild happenings in recent Florida history, including the "Florida Joker," a naked man doing yard work, a woman twerking atop a moving car, and several run-ins with local gators. Rockstar calls it "the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet."
The trailer also features Rockstar's versions of TikToks and livestreams, pointing toward a modern-day setting.
The GTA 6 trailer references three counties we can expect to explore: the bright lights of Vice-Dale, the wetands of Kelly, and the smalll towns of Leonard. For much more on the specifics of each county, check out out our in-depth breakdown of the GTA 6 trailer locations.
According to a 2022 Bloomberg report, Vice City is only the starting point: Rockstar will purportedly add “new missions and cities on a regular basis.” GTA 6 is also said to include more interior locations than any previous GTA. The report states GTA 6 is codenamed Project Americas, in reference to Rockstar’s rumored plan to originally include North and South American locations at launch. That plan, however, is said to have been scrapped to reduce crunch.
GTA 6 Story, Protagonists
As confirmed by the first trailer, Grand Theft Auto 6 will star ex-convict Lucia and her unamed, male partner in crime (reportedly Jason). Lucia is the first female playable character in GTA’s 3D era, and fans are already enamored.
The trailler is light on plot, though it features this exchange between its two protagonists, lending credence to its reported Bonnie & Clyde inspiration:
"The only way we're gonna get through this is by sticking together. Being a team," says Lucia. "Trust?"
"Trust," responds the male protagonist.
Singer-songwriter T-Pain will seemingly appear in GTA 6 as well. The artist discussed his involvement after being asked why he no longer plays on the GTA 5 role-playing servier NoPixel. "I used to be on NoPixel, then I started working on GTA VI, and they told me I couldn't do RP anymore because it kind of goes against... they had this whole speech, like, 'What if somebody took your album and re-recorded it, and more people were listening to that,' and I'm like, 'Okay, I kind of get that, but I was having a good time. Alright that's fine,'" he said.
As is tradition for the franchise, you can expect other celebrities in GTA 6 as well.
GTA 6 Announcement
In February 2022 Rockstar officially confirmed the next Grand Theft Auto (presumably named GTA VI) was in development. Here’s the official announcement from Rockstar:
"With the unprecedented longevity of GTA V, we know many of you have been asking us about a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series. With every new project we embark on, our goal is always to significantly move beyond what we have previously delivered — and we are pleased to confirm that active development for the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series is well underway. We look forward to sharing more as soon as we are ready, so please stay tuned to the Rockstar Newswire for official details.
“On behalf of our entire team, we thank you all for your support and cannot wait to step into the future with you!"
GTA 6 Gameplay (Leak)
On September 18, 2022, Grand Theft Auto 6 was the subject of what may be the most significant video game leak of all time. A hacker gained access to Rockstar’s network and stole dozens of assets before uploading 90 GTA 6 videos online.
The in-development footage, which was verified by Rockstar, showed off parts of the game world, gunplay, and NPCs. It also seemingly confirmed GTA 6 will feature one male and one female protagonist. (Speaking of NPCs: Rockstar filed a patent in 2019 for more realistic and immersive NPC drivers. The technology, which may be used in GTA 6, allows AI drivers to “define [their] own specific characteristics for traversing the road nodes.”)
10 months after the leak, a British teenager was arrested for his involvement in a series of hacks, one of which is believed to be the origin of the big GTA 6 leak.
GTA 6 Developer
Grand Theft Auto 6 is being developed by Rockstar North, the studio responsible for every mainline GTA game since the franchise’s debut in 1997. Notably, in August, Rockstar began officially working with Cfx.re, the modding team behind the biggest GTA 5 roleplay servers. It’s unclear if the group will work on similar content for GTA 6.
Two staple developers of the Grand Theft Auto series left Rockstar in the years following GTA 5: Rockstar games co-founder/head writer Dan Houser and former Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies. Houser wrote on most of the Grand Theft Auto games from GTA 2 to GTA 5, while Benzies served as a series producer since Grand Theft Auto 3.
Rockstar’s VP of writing Mike Unsworth has also left the company, though given the timing of his departure (August 2023), his work on GTA 6 may have been completed.
Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.
