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After spending over a decade in the mean streets of Grand Theft Auto 5, fans have their eyes set on the sequel. GTA 6 has, after years of radio silence, speculation, and plenty of leaks, finally been officially revealed by Rockstar Games with a release date of some time in 2025 exclusively on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X — with no official word on a PC version yet.
The next game in the franchise will take players back to Vice City and the larger state of Leonida. While the trailer confirmed many details regarding GTA 6, Rockstar has still left plenty of room for speculation. Of course, being that this is GTA 6 we're talking about, it was always bound to be subject to rumors and hoaxes.
Technically, GTA 6 was sort of 'confirmed' way back in 2013, the release year of GTA 5. In an interview, Leslie Benzies (president of Rockstar North at the time) indicated that the team already had ideas for the next game. While situations change — like Benzies departing from Rockstar — we know that the company went ahead with the continuation of the franchise.
In this GTA 6 overview, we'll look at everything we know, everything we think we know, and all the rumors worth noting. Until any greater volume of official news regarding the franchise's future is publicized, this will be your one-stop resource for anything GTA 6-related.
Fans have been thinking and talking about GTA 6 for many years now, as hype around the game has been building practically since GTA 5 launched. You could call that jumping the gun, but that's what passionate fans will get you — as a result, anyone trying to look into the subject needs to sort through checks notes over a decade of speculation, hoaxes, threads, posts, articles, captions and more to find out what they want to know.
Something important to keep in mind as you look through even our own reporting of the legitimate, or most legitimate-looking GTA 6 information, is that both in AAA development generally, and specifically with a project that has this long a development cycle, even leaks or details that may have been true at some point could have precisely zero footprint in the final product, whenever it launches; simply put, plans change. Even official sources sometimes put out info that ends up being different from what we eventually get — remember how Rockstar once announced story DLC for GTA 5?
There is a lot to be excited about regarding GTA 6, but even if something is "confirmed", remember to keep that excitement in check — we still have a long way to go.
We're tracking every major GTA 6 development here, with the newest details on top.
After years without any official news on a release window, players finally have an official confirmation. GTA 6 is expected to release on current consoles, meaning the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, in 2025.
We've seen Rockstar tackle console generations in various ways recently. GTA 5 was released right at the end of the 7th gen, launching on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It then got ported to the previous-gen systems (PS4 / Xbox One) when they were released and eventually to PC. This allowed the developers to spread their product across the widest range of platforms possible. However, the game didn't ultimately capitalize on the new hardware of the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One.
The current generation of consoles may not quite be "new" anymore — though, for many players, they still are due to production pipeline and stock issues in the early years — we're hoping GTA 6's release isn't delayed to be so far away that it would launch at the very end of it, like its predecessor, only to see ports to the next-gen.
GTA Online shows no sign of slowing down, with player numbers and revenue increasing month over month despite its age. In January 2019, GTA 5 was still one of the best-selling games and even outsold the newer, but also highly popular, Red Dead Redemption 2. If the game continues to perform that well, Take-Two won't feel a pressing need to rush a new installment out the door. GTA 5 was re-released on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S as Expanded and Enhanced, lengthening once again the title's lifespan.
In April 2019, a former Rockstar employee briefly listed Grand Theft Auto VI in their online portfolio, indicating work on the unannounced game between December 2017 and April 2018. This would indicate that the game may have been in development since late 2017. It has likely been in the works for longer, but an average five-year development cycle paired with this info makes the later predictions of 2021 and 2022 more likely.
Grand Theft Auto 6 received its first official trailer in December 2023, followed by the reveal of its protagonists, timeline, setting, and release window. Rockstar is known for its secrecy, though, so don't expect any more Grand Theft Auto 6 media soon.
For years, a popular theory was that GTA 6 will return to Vice City just like GTA 5 returned to locations seen in San Andreas. Rockstar put all the speculation to rest with the game's first official trailer.
One of the more legitimate-looking reports coming from The Know also indicates that while Vice City will be the main location of the game, with additional locations found in South America. The latter sections will make up a smaller part of the game but will still be significant due to a drug-running storyline. As a result, the game is reportedly being developed under the codename Project Americas and will retain the 80s setting of the original.
Given how large the state of Leonida is, it's possible that players will visit other cities within the game, especially if Rockstar plans on releasing DLCs and expansions. Smaller towns and other settlements are pretty certain though, as seen in GTA 5.
Over the years, different sources of varying legitimacy have named different locations. Previously, other options include the entire USA, portions of the USA including multiple cities, Tokyo, a return to London, or a futuristic sci-fi metropolis. We'll have to wait and see if Rockstar has more in store for GTA 6.
GTA 5 introduced an iconic three protagonist system allowing players to switch between Michael, Franklin, and Trevor. Most games don't feature this dynamic, and while it was executed well in GTA 5, it has the potential to backfire by diluting content and disrupting focus. With Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar returned to the standard single-protagonist system.
That said, rumors about this particular aspect have been swirling for a long time. The whole single protagonist vs. multiple protagonists debate has fans incensed. The most prevalent rumor, though lacking any sort of proof, indicates that the game will feature a female protagonist for the first time.
Another rumor indicates that the multiple protagonist system will return, but this time with just two characters instead of three, with one female and one male lead. Voice actors have also been rumored, with Eva Mendez and Ryan Gosling reported most often in the early days of leaks. These rumors have since been thoroughly disproven, and the fanbase is hunting for the voice actors of the protagonists.
In December 2023, Rockstar confirmed that GTA 6 will indeed have two protagonists: lovers who appear to be running from the law.
The trailer doesn't dispel previous rumors that one of the protagonists is a criminal while the other is an undercover cop or a former cop. Nevertheless, players are expected to control both at different points in the story. Rumors suggest that the two protagonists will oppose one another at some point. This aspect is more believable and would give the game an interesting spin.
Similarly unreliable as of now, the possibility of a custom protagonist cropped up. GTA Online already allows us to customize our own playable character since the multiplayer mode's narrative is more free-form than the story mode. It is possible that an even more in-depth, almost RPG-like character creator may be introduced in GTA 6.
Throughout the past few years, virtual reality has proven that it is more than just a fad or a gimmick and is a new feature that is here to stay. Its popularity has spread, and many AAA games are embracing it, like DOOM, The Elder Scrolls, EVE Online, and more. Rockstar has done so as well, having released a VR spin-off for L.A. Noire.
While neither GTA 5 nor Red Dead Redemption 2 support VR natively, GTA 5 has had several VR mods developed for it, allowing you to enjoy the game with a greater sense of immersion. You just need to have an appropriate headset and enough technical know-how to set everything up. RDR2 might do something similar, via mods, in the future too.
Rumors indicating native VR support for Grand Theft Auto 6 sprung up after Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick spoke out in favor of the feature, even though he was initially skeptical of it. This new platform would allow players to become even more invested in the game's open world and pay more attention to the finer details the developers have filled it with.
Of course, no official boxart for Grand Theft Auto VI exists yet. That said, given the popularity of the GTA franchise and its fans' dedication to it, several mock-ups are floating around the internet. We've collected some of the best for you below.
Concrete things we know about GTA 6 are few and far between, and most of the info we have is deduced from hints and related events. This is where we'll collect all the tidbits and smaller trivia that doesn't fit into the bigger categories fans are interested in, like trailers or release dates.
When is GTA 6 coming out?
GTA 6 will be released some time in 2025.
What platforms will GTA 6 be available on?
GTA 6 will initially be available to play on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S at launch. PC players will have to wait longer to get their hands on the game, as was the case with Grand Theft Auto 5.
Where and when will GTA 6 be set?
GTA 6 will be set in a modern-day version of Vice City, the fictional Miami-inspired city from previous Grand Theft Auto games. It may also feature other locations such as South America and Cuba, which could be added as different cities located in the state of Leonida.
Who are the main characters of GTA 6?
GTA 6 will have multiple playable protagonists, including a female character for the first time in the series.
What are some of the new features and gameplay mechanics of GTA 6?
GTA 6 will introduce new features and gameplay mechanics, such as a dynamic weather system, natural disasters, branching storylines, realistic physics, improved AI, and more customization options.
How big will the map of GTA 6 be?
The map of GTA 6 is expected to be the biggest and most detailed one in the Grand Theft Auto game series so far, with the state of Leonida expected to feature multiple cities. It may also expand and change over time with updates and DLCs.
How will GTA Online work with GTA 6?
GTA Online will likely continue to exist as a separate entity from GTA 6, but it may also receive some content and features from the new game. It is possible that GTA Online will become a standalone service that can connect to multiple GTA games.
Will GTA 6 have VR support?
There is no official confirmation on whether GTA 6 will have VR support or not, but some rumors suggest that it could be a possibility. Rockstar Games has experimented with VR before with L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files.
Will GTA 6 have cross-play functionality?
There is no official confirmation on whether GTA 6 will have cross-play functionality or not. Cross-play would allow players to play together regardless of their gaming platform of choice.
Is there any chance that GTA 6 is released on the Xbox One PlayStation 4?
No. Rockstar has announced that it will arrive for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2025. It would make zero sense for it to land on older, slower consoles later.
How did Rockstar Games announce GTA 6?
Rockstar Games announced GTA 6 in a brief tweet on February 4th, 2022, without any teaser or trailer. The tweet simply stated that active development for the next entry in the series is underway. Rockstar later released the official trailer for GTA 6 on December 5.
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