GTA 6‘s release date is still unknown, but some recent comments from the upcoming Grand Theft Auto game’s publishers have stirred yet more rumors. By the looks of things, it could be arriving in the next couple of years, meaning we should see more very soon indeed.
A huge amount of information on GTA 6 was leaked last year, forcing Rockstar to remove hefty amounts of early-development footage from all over the internet. The gameplay contained in the leaks was clearly showing GTA 6 in a pre-alpha state, so aside from some broad strokes, it’s still difficult to tell what the game could be like at launch.
While we wait for more details on GTA 6, here’s everything we know about the game so far. This includes a look at the initial announcement, as well as some predictions on where the game could be set, and who you might play as.
GTA 6: cut to the chase
What is it? The next entry in the Grand Theft Auto seriesWhen does it come out? TBCWhat can I play it on? TBC
GTA 6 release date and platforms
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
GTA 6 does not currently have a release date. While Rockstar Games has finally announced it’s working on GTA 6, it has said nothing of when the game will release, let alone confirm a release date. According to a report by Bloomberg, published back in June, 2022, current and former Rockstar staff reckoned GTA 6 was still at least two years away from release, suggesting a 2024/2025 launch. In a recent earnings call, Take-Two once again pointed to next fiscal year (April 2024 – March 2025) as a huge year for the company. This is very likely referring to GTA 6.
Similarly, there’s been no information as to what platforms GTA 6 will launch on. It’s safe to assume that it’ll arrive on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S at launch, however, older consoles are much less likely, depending on when GTA 6 comes out. In the past, PC ports for Rockstar games have followed years after their console releases, so this could also be the case with GTA 6. We’ll have to wait for more details on GTA 6‘s release date and platforms.
When was GTA 6 announced?
Many of you have been asking about a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series.With every new project, our goal is always to significantly move beyond what we’ve previously delivered. We’re pleased to confirm that active development for the next entry in the series is underway.February 4, 2022
GTA 6 was announced on February 4, 2022 via the Tweet embedded above. Generally, this was just confirmation that Rockstar was indeed working on GTA 6, and no other details were given aside from the fact that the game was in active development. This is the last update that Rockstar has given on GTA 6.
Is there a GTA 6 trailer?
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)
Unfortunately, Rockstar Games didn’t share a trailer for GTA 6 alongside its announcement, suggesting that the developer is approaching its reveal of Grand Theft Auto 6 differently than its previous titles. With both GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar Games teased an announcement a few days before dropping the first trailer for either game.
But this time Rockstar didn’t tease an announcement at all, nor did it announce the game with a trailer, instead it simply included the announcement as part of a community post, making it difficult to predict whether there will be a trailer sometime soon.
GTA 6 map and setting: could it be Vice City?
Grand Theft Auto (Image credit: Rockstar Games)
Rockstar Games hasn’t confirmed where GTA 6 will take us, but there’s a plethora of rumors floating around suggesting a variety of settings for the game. Although every online titbit and juicy gossip morsel looks tantalizing, a few hold more water than others.
It’s looking most likely that GTA 6 will be set in Vice City, Rockstar’s fictional version of Miami, or at least a fictional version of Miami. The aforementioned Bloomberg report claims a source “close to the matter” suggests Vice City will appear in GTA 6, although Rockstar’s original plans were apparently more ambitious. That’s backed up by the leaked gameplay footage, one of which showed a “Vice City Metro” train.
Bloomberg’s report claims that, at the beginning of development, GTA 6 encompassed huge areas modeled after both North and South America. That scope was apparently cut back, however, to focus on Vice City and its surrounding area, though “the game’s world remains large, with more interior locations than previous Grand Theft Auto games”.
But the map won’t remain static, according to the report. Rockstar plans to update GTA 6 with more cities and interior locations after release, with these updates set to be substantially larger than those GTA 5 has received. The idea is to give developers more breathing room to create the game’s expansive map and cut down on stressful overtime during development. It also means you’ll have new areas to explore after the game hits shelves. According to Bloomberg, Rockstar plans to add new missions and cities to the game “on a regular basis”, giving us new areas to explore while hopefully cutting crunch at the studio.
GTA 6 story and playable characters
(Image credit: Rockstar)
Rockstar Games hasn’t confirmed GTA 6‘s story or characters yet but reports and rumors may point to what we can expect from Grand Theft Auto 6‘s storytelling.
According to a Bloomberg report by Jason Schreier, GTA 6 will feature the series’ first female protagonist and center around a pair of characters styled after the American criminal duo Bonnie and Clyde. This is backed up by the leaked gameplay footage, which shows two different protagonists, both male, and female.
Bloomberg’s report details Rockstar’s efforts to change its workplace culture, and how the developer “has spent the last four years overhauling its culture and working to become a kinder, more progressive company.” As part of the changes, “Grand Theft Auto VI will have a female Latina protagonist – the first playable woman in modern Rockstar history.” Who the second leading character is and what the nature of their relationship will be isn’t clear.
In Schreier’s report, he writes that “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”. Developers at Rockstar are “being cautious not to ‘punch down’ by making jokes about marginalized groups,” in contrast to previous entries in the series.
GTA 6 gameplay
(Image credit: Rockstar)
Seeing as Rockstar has yet to release any official details on gameplay, we have very little to go off of currently. According to the leaked early development footage, we say this year, it does seem that Rockstar is trying out some new mechanics for GTA 6. There seems to be a focus on robbery and heists, with some new stealth mechanics thrown in for good measure.
From the footage that leaked (now deleted), things look very similar to GTA 5, but with some additional and updated aspects like being able to go prone. Of course, this was all clearly early development, so there’s no saying what the GTA 6 gameplay will end up being like.
Currently, it’s safe to assume that GTA 6 will feature the same third-person action as the last couple of entries in the series. What we don’t know are the finer details, like how character switching will work, whether there’s a multiplayer element, or how players can interact with the world. The leaked gameplay showed very early development assets, which only give us a small part of the picture regarding GTA 6‘s gameplay.
GTA 6 news
Grand Theft Auto (Image credit: Rockstar Games) (Image credit: Rockstar Games)
Rockstar addresses GTA 6 leak
Rockstar Games formally confirmed that the GTA 6 leak that occurred in September 2022 was real. Releasing a statement via Twitter, the team advised this included “early development footage for the next Grand Theft Auto.” While they didn’t comment on particular details spotted in the leak, the team said it’s “extremely disappointed to have any details of our next game shared this way.”
Crucially, Rockstar’s statement advised that the leak shouldn’t cause any delays, stating “we do not anticipate any disruption to our live game services nor any long-term effect on the development of our ongoing projects.” Promising an official update to this next game “when it is ready.”
GTA 6 suffers huge gameplay leak
Last September, Grand Theft Auto 6 saw what was easily one of the biggest leaks in gaming history. Roughly 90 videos were posted onto the official GTA Forums by a poster named teapotuberhacker, containing gameplay footage that’s early in development. Since going live, Rockstar and Take-Two have since removed these through copyright strikes. Updating their original post (now deleted), teapottuberhacker claimed he was looking to make a deal with Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive, issuing this statement:
“Ok, so this has gone unexpectedly viral, woke up to 3000 Telegram DM’s. If you are an employee of Rockstar or Take 2 and you’re trying to contact me, send me a message containing 22559219889638875756 on Telegram or you can email me at [email address redacted] ** from your corporate email address ** I will try to read all these replies soon – I am looking to negotiate a deal.”
So there you have it, that’s everything we know about GTA 6 so far. For more on the most anticipated games on the horizon, check out our upcoming games release dates schedule.
