If you’ve scrolled gaming forums, watched YouTube leak breakdowns, or argued with friends about the next big open-world release, you’ve almost certainly asked is there going to be GTA 6 at least once in the last few years. The Grand Theft Auto franchise is one of the highest-grossing entertainment properties of all time, so it’s no surprise fans are hungry for any scrap of information about the next entry. I’ve covered Rockstar Games releases for 8 years, so I know how easy it is to get caught up in fake rumors and clickbait updates. I’ve sifted through official statements, verified leaks, and industry insider reports to cut through the noise and give you the most accurate, up-to-date picture of what’s coming next.
Is There Going to Be GTA 6? Official Confirmation Straight From Rockstar
Let’s get the biggest question out of the way first: yes, GTA 6 is real, and it’s been in development for years. Rockstar officially confirmed GTA 6 was in active development in February 2022, in a short press release timed to line up with the 10th anniversary of GTA 5’s launch. The announcement was short on specific details, but it confirmed that the team was working to “push the limits of what’s possible in open-world, narrative-driven gaming” for the next entry.
In December 2023, Rockstar dropped the first official GTA 6 trailer, which broke the record for the most viewed non-music video on YouTube in 24 hours, racking up over 121 million views in its first day online. The trailer answered a lot of long-standing questions about the game, and put to rest years of wild speculation about its setting and core characters. The first official trailer confirmed the game will be set in a modern, updated version of Vice City, the fan-favorite Florida-inspired setting that first appeared in 2002’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
The trailer also gave us our first look at Lucia, the first female playable protagonist in a mainline GTA game since the series shifted to 3D open worlds. Rockstar hasn’t shared many details about the story yet, but the trailer teases a narrative centered on Lucia and her male partner pulling off heists and navigating the criminal underbelly of Vice City, with clear nods to the Bonnie and Clyde style of crime storytelling.
Key Leaked Details We Know About GTA 6 So Far
A lot of the details we know about GTA 6 came from a 2022 data breach that leaked over 90 videos of early gameplay footage and internal development documents. Rockstar later confirmed the breach was real, and said the leaked footage was from a very early, unfinished build of the game. While some small details may have changed since then, most of the core features shown in the leak are expected to make it to the final release. Here are the most notable confirmed and verified leaked features:
- A dual protagonist system, with one female lead (Lucia) and one male lead (Jason) tied to a Bonnie and Clyde-style crime story, with players able to switch between the two characters both during missions and free roam
- A map larger than any previous GTA entry, with multiple small beach towns, swampy Everglades-style areas, and rural communities surrounding the main Vice City metro, plus more interactive buildings and locations than any prior Rockstar game
- Dynamic weather that includes hurricanes, flash floods, and tropical storms that change how the open world works, closing roads, limiting police presence, and opening up unique heist opportunities during extreme weather events
- More customizable character progression, with options to specialize in different criminal activities like high-stakes heists, cross-state drug trafficking, underground street racing, or white-collar fraud, each with their own unique mission lines and rewards
It’s important to remember that the leaked footage was from a build of the game that was at least two years old at the time it leaked, so a lot of the visual polish, bug fixes, and extra features have been added since then. None of the leaked gameplay footage represents the final state of the game, so fans shouldn’t judge the final product based on the rough, unfinished clips that circulated online in 2022. Rockstar has a reputation for polishing its games until they meet extremely high quality standards, so the final release will look and play far better than the early build shown in the leaks.
We also know from insider reports that the game will have a much larger focus on real-world events and cultural satire than previous entries, which has been a core part of the GTA franchise since its launch. You can expect the same level of sharp, over-the-top commentary on social media, influencer culture, political corruption, and modern American life that made GTA 5’s story so memorable.
When Can Fans Expect GTA 6 to Launch?
The first official GTA 6 trailer ended with a simple “2025” release window, with no specific month or date confirmed yet. Multiple industry insiders with a track record of accurate Rockstar leaks have said the game is currently on track for a fall 2025 launch, most likely in September or October of that year, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles first.
There’s no confirmed release date for the PC version of GTA 6 yet, but based on Rockstar’s past release patterns, we can expect the PC port to launch 12 to 18 months after the console release. Rockstar usually prioritizes console releases first to fix platform-specific bugs before rolling out the PC version, and to reduce the risk of piracy cutting into early sales. Rockstar has not announced any plans for a GTA 6 release on PS4 or Xbox One, so anyone still on last-gen consoles will need to upgrade to play the new entry when it launches.
Don’t be surprised if the release date gets pushed back a few months, either. Rockstar has a history of delaying games to make sure they meet their quality standards, and GTA 6 is easily the biggest and most ambitious game the studio has ever made. The team has already pushed back internal launch targets at least once to add extra features and polish, so a short delay wouldn’t be out of the ordinary. Even if it’s pushed back a few months, it’s still guaranteed to launch before the end of 2025, per Rockstar’s official statement.
We can expect Rockstar to release a second trailer with more gameplay footage and an exact release date around 6 to 8 months before launch, and pre-orders will likely open shortly after that second trailer drops. If you’re planning to pre-order, it’s best to wait until pre-orders are officially announced by Rockstar, to avoid falling for scams.
Common GTA 6 Rumors You Should Ignore
With as much hype as there is around GTA 6, there are dozens of fake rumors and clickbait leaks circulating online every week, and it can be hard to tell what’s real and what’s made up. Most of these rumors come from fake insider accounts, clickbait YouTube channels, or people trying to get attention on social media, and they have no basis in reality.
One of the most common fake rumors is that GTA 6 will be free-to-play, with microtransactions for all story content. That’s completely false: Rockstar has confirmed that GTA 6 will be a full-priced premium game, with a standalone single-player story mode, just like all previous mainline GTA entries. The only microtransactions will be for the separate online mode, similar to how GTA Online works for GTA 5.
Another common fake rumor is that GTA 6 will have a battle royale mode, or be set across multiple countries including Tokyo and London. The first trailer already confirmed the game is set exclusively in the Vice City area, and Rockstar has said there are no plans to add a battle royale mode to the base game. Any supposed "pre-order links" for GTA 6 right now are scams, as Rockstar has not opened pre-orders for the game, and any site claiming to sell pre-orders is either selling fake codes or trying to steal your personal information.
To avoid falling for fake rumors, stick to official Rockstar social media accounts, or verified industry insiders who have a track record of accurate Rockstar leaks. If a rumor sounds too wild to be true, it almost always is. Rockstar is extremely secretive about its games before launch, so any big new detail that isn’t shared directly from the company is almost certainly fake.
At the end of the day, if you’re still asking is there going to be GTA 6, the answer is a resounding yes. Rockstar is pouring more resources into this game than any previous title in the franchise, and it’s set to be one of the biggest gaming releases of the decade. The team is taking its time to make sure the game lives up to fan expectations, so even if you have to wait a little longer than you’d like, the final product will almost certainly be worth the wait. Just be patient, avoid falling for fake rumors, and keep an eye on official Rockstar channels for the latest updates as we get closer to launch.
