GTA 6: Release Date, Trailer, Setting, Characters, and Gameplay for 2026's Biggest Open-World Game
Rockstar says its next open-world epic is now on track for release in 2026.
With the wildly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 a little less than a year away, the hype for Rockstar Games’ next open-world game continues to grow to unprecedented levels. After years of radio silence followed by massive leaks, Rockstar has given the public exactly two opportunities to see what it’s been cooking up for the better part of a decade. And from what we’ve seen, the sequel looks to be one of the most ambitious releases gaming has ever seen.
With its release currently slated for May 2026, here’s everything you need to know about GTA 6, the blockbuster that the entire games industry has its eyes on.
How Many Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailers Are There?
So far GTA 6 has two trailers, the most recent released in May 2025. This second trailer is nearly three minutes long and provides a glimpse into the life and times of the game’s two protagonists (more on them later), and the sinful state they call home. It features the sexy, soulful 1986 song Hot Together from The Pointer Sisters.
It’s one of the most spectacular trailers gaming has seen in years. Spectacular set pieces, top-level voice action, and a level of graphical fidelity like nothing we’ve seen before make for a gaming blockbuster that looks the part. We’re clearly not alone in that. Since its release, the trailer has smashed viewership records across internet platforms like YouTube and Twitter.
The trailer came 17 months after the game’s premiere trailer dropped on December 5, 2023. Whereas the recent trailer gives us a closer look at the game’s cast, the minute-and-a-half debut mostly gave viewers a taste of what life in contemporary Vice City is like. In typical Grand Theft Auto fashion, the trailer pokes fun at modern trends like internet virality, social media, and the American Twilight Zone that is Florida (for which Leonida is based on).
The first GTA 6 trailer is heavy on vibes, but doesn’t actually show us how the game will play.
When Is Grand Theft Auto 6’s Release Date?
On May 2, 2025, Rockstar Games announced that GTA 6 is delayed until May 26, 2026. The developer added that it needed the extra time to exceed players’ expectations and deliver a higher level of quality.
“We are very sorry that this is later than you expected,” read a statement from Rockstar. “The interest and excitement surrounding a new Grand Theft Auto has been truly humbling for our entire team.”
Originally, the first trailer for the game announced that GTA 6 had a release window of fall 2025. No month or specific day was set at the time. Given Rockstar Games’ history with delays, the May 2025 announcement came as little surprise.
Lucia is one of GTA 6’s two protagonists.
Even before the most recent delay, GTA 6 has been plagued by production setbacks, with its biggest one being totally out of its control. In September 2022, Rockstar suffered a network intrusion from which several parts and gameplay clips of the game in pre-alpha were leaked. Leaks of this kind have delayed projects before, but Rockstar downplayed those concerns on social media, saying, “We do not anticipate any disruption to our live game services nor any long-term effect on the development of our ongoing projects.”
After rumors again began swirling that GTA 6 would be delayed until 2026, a Bloomberg reporter said that developers at the studio hadn’t been informed of any delay, but cautioned that executives could have decided to delay the game without informing them. Parent company Take-Two’s August 2024 financial report also committed to a fall 2025 release date for the game. There was also concern that a SAG-AFTRA strike could cause a delay, but Take-Two quickly confirmed that it was exempt from the strike. Rockstar also has a history of delaying its biggest games, so even if none of the existing rumors are true, there’s always a chance that GTA 6 could be delayed, too.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told Variety in a recent earnings interview that Grand Theft Auto 6’s release date won’t coincide with the launch of Borderlands 4.
What Platforms Will Grand Theft Auto 6 Be Released On?
While platforms for GTA 6 were not mentioned in the trailer, an official press release from Rockstar confirmed that the game will be released on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles. There was no mention of a PC version of the game. That isn’t entirely surprising, since Rockstar games have historically hit PC later than consoles, as was the case with GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2. PC gamers may have to just wait patiently for a year or more after the game’s console release.
What is The Grand Theft Auto 6 Setting?
GTA 6 returns to Vice City, but its setting will be much larger than just one city.
Grand Theft Auto VI will return to the series’ iconic Vice City setting, Rockstar’s version of Miami, but it won’t be confined to just the city. The game takes place in Leonida, a fictional version of Florida. And following the game’s second trailer, Rockstar revealed a lot more about the state that players will soon explore. Outside of the urban hub known for its nightlife and picturesque beaches, there are places like the laid-back Leonida Keys (based on the Florida Keys), the swampy Grassrivers, the industrial Ambrosia, and the rural hub of Port Gellhorn.
Similar to how GTA 5 handled recreating Los Angeles and the larger southern California area, GTA 6 is looking to capture more than the urban sprawls seen in older games in the series. Leonida is likely to be larger than GTA 5’s world as well, as Rockstar called it “the biggest, most immersive” setting ever in the series in the first trailer’s description.
What is the Grand Theft Auto 6 Story?
GTA 6 will introduce two protagonists — Lucia Caminos and Jason Duval — and tell a Bonnie and Clyde-inspired story.
“Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them,” a game synopsis on Rockstar’s website reads. “But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.”
Lucia was born and raised in Liberty City (the setting of Grand Theft Auto 4). We know that she somehow ended up serving prison time and is being released by the start of GTA 6. Jason, on the otherhand, is a salt of the earth Leonida local and Army veteran. He seems to have a code of ethics of some sort, but he can’t resist the allure of the lucrative world of drug trafficking.
GTA 6 looks to fall into the franchise's expected themes of the false reality of the American dream. The second trailer also shows them committing lots of crimes and robberies. We also see the other side of this dynamic, as we’re introduced to several members of law enforcement likely pursuing the criminal power couple around the state.
Looking at the first trailer, it's clear that Rockstar has plenty to say about how the world has been changed by social media. It’s a commentary that could feel a little outdated, but we don’t know what role this will play in the larger story.
What Should I Know About Grand Theft Auto 6 Gameplay?
The two official trailers are more about vibes and showing off the city and protagonists than gameplay, but several leaks have revealed more of what we’ll actually see in the game.
Leaked footage shows returning series staples like a wheel interface used to pick weapons, and a wanted level that increases as you commit crimes, drawing more attention from police. GTA 6 will likely allow players to swap between the two main characters and switch between first-person and third-person views, as GTA 6 and Red Dead Redemption 2 do.
One clip from the September 2022 leak shows the player switching their active weapon to their offhand so they can pick up a new rifle from the ground, which may support the idea of a more limited weapon inventory, though that hasn’t been confirmed.
GTA 6’s dual protagonists could be facing a world with more nuanced NPC interactions and combat.
Combat looks to be a little more nuanced than in previous Grand Theft Auto games. The player in the leaked footage is seen crouching, taking cover, and even carrying an NPC, so there will likely be more interaction with the environment this time around. NPCs also appear to be more reactive, as seen when a character attempts to rob a diner, and NPCs react in fear when they see a weapon drawn.
The GTA 6 leaked footage suggests that it will have more interior locations than earlier Grand Theft Auto games, which could significantly change how the open-world sandbox feels. We see playable characters inside multiple buildings in the footage, and one clip shows a car interior in more detail than you’d expect from previous Grand Theft Auto games.
In 2021, TheGamer revealed that a Rockstar visual effects job description called for someone to create “large-scale destruction events like skyscrapers crashing into the ground.” That could be tied to the reported way the GTA 6 map will change over time, or it may signal that players’ actions could reshape the city. None of this was showcased in the September 2022 leak.
One big question surrounding GTA 6 is whether it will launch with a new version of GTA Online. The online component of GTA 5 is a big part of why the game remains relevant so many years after launch, not to mention the boatloads of money it’s earning for Rockstar. Because of that, a new online mode for GTA 6 feels all but guaranteed, but there’s been no official word from Rockstar about it just yet.
Previous versions of this article were written by Danny Paez and Giovanni Colantonio.
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