It’s no secret that ‘Grand Theft Auto 6’ (GTA:VI) has made huge waves in the gaming world. It’s one of the most anticipated games of the last decade, so it’s good to have an understanding of everything that’s happened to the game up to the time of writing.
Feb. 4, 2022 – Rockstar games officially announces the making of a new ‘Grand Theft Auto’ game.
Sept. 18, 2022 – A user on GTAForums.com posted download links to roughly 90 files claiming to have a build of GTA:VI. These leaks spread rapidly and included development footage of some of the game’s content including characters, locations and vehicles, but were taken down a day later.
Dec. 4, 2023 – The first trailer for the game was leaked 16 hours ahead of its intended release. Rockstar ultimately released the trailer ahead of schedule as a result. The trailer set the original release date as 2025 with no specific date.
Jan. 1, 2025 – A photo and two videos of an early development build were leaked on Reddit by a user named “JustLovett0”. The metadata on the photo reveals that it was taken on June 21, 2022 at Rockstar Games San Diego. The photo shows one of the protagonists, Lucia, in a construction site at one of the game’s locations. On the right side of the photo was a clearly visible PlayStation 5 development kit. The content was deleted shortly after being posted, and neither Rockstar games nor Take Two Interactive confirmed its authenticity.
May 6, 2025 – The second trailer is released, announcing a release date slated for May 26, 2026.
Sept. 8, 2025 – Community data miner Tex2 found a set of domains registered to Take Two Interactive. This user found that the domains were registered by Take Two Interactive on May 27, 2025.
Nov. 6 , 2025 – Rockstar games announced a new release date of Nov. 19, 2026 for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. As of writing, no official release date for PC has been given.
Nov. 30, 2025 – A demo reel originally posted on Sept. 3, 2025 by a former Rockstar Games animator featured three test clips from GTA:VI. Two of them involved the player character interacting with a city bike. The third clip showed a female character in a test environment. After gaining traction, the demo reel was removed.
Aug. 27, 2026 – Rockstar released a 26-minute extended gameplay trailer on YouTube and Netflix. The trailer was captured in-game on a PlayStation 5 and showcased driving mechanics, shooting and aspects of the game’s story and open world.
Despite a tumultuous development, GTA:VI is projected to generate between 3.2 to 5.2 billion dollars in sales globally. The game is projected to have such a big impact that, according to analytics groups like Sensor Tower, it will singlehandedly keep the global console market growing for 2026. Even though the game isn’t released yet, it’s already generated an estimated 440 million dollars in preorders alone. Adding to this is the fact that 90% of preorders are of the game’s ultimate edition, which is priced at $100.
Dylan Daniels, a senior attending the University of Tennessee at Martin, is one such buyer.
“Yeah, I’m preordering,” says Daniels. “I’m most excited because it’s the next installment of the GTA series, and I loved GTA and Red Dead [Redemption].”
The ultimate edition includes the base game as well as exclusive vehicles, weapons, clothing and locations. These perks are what Daniels cited as his reason for preordering that version of the game despite the increased cost. Judging by the preorder sales, it’s clear that Daniels is far from the only player who feels that way.
