Grand Theft Auto VI

Rockstar Games' open-world action-adventure. Set in the fictional state of Leonida and Vice City; scheduled for release on November 19, 2026.

Grand Theft Auto VI

Overview

Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA VI) is an open-world action-adventure game developed by Rockstar Games and published by Take-Two Interactive. It is the first proper numbered entry in the series in about 13 years since Grand Theft Auto V in 2013, and it is set in the fictional state of Leonida and its central city, Vice City. It is scheduled for release on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and is expected to be the biggest commercial success among entertainment products of all time.

Key details

Setting and world

The setting, the state of Leonida, is a fictional region modeled on Florida, USA, and Vice City is a city reimagined from Miami. A key marketing point is that the city featured in the series' early entry GTA: Vice City (2002) is being recreated with modern technology. Swamps, sugarcane farms, beaches, the skyline of a major city, and small towns on the outskirts are connected in one huge open world, and it is known that the proportion of enterable buildings, including indoor spaces, shops, and clubs, will be the highest in the series. Satirical elements of the background society—social media addiction, real estate development, local gangs, political scandals—are woven throughout the story.

Characters and narrative

This work is the first in series history to feature a female protagonist as an official main character. Lucia Caminos is a character returning to society after finishing a prison term, and together with her partner Jason Duval, she becomes entangled with criminal organizations, depicting a Bonnie and Clyde-style couple-crime narrative. The structure of switching between the two protagonists is an evolution of GTA V's third-person multiple-protagonist system, and it is said that a method of cross-cutting between the two characters' perspectives in certain missions will be introduced.

Gameplay and technology

Graphics and physics computations based on Rockstar's proprietary RAGE engine, large-scale NPC artificial intelligence, and dynamic weather and traffic systems are emphasized. While inheriting the traditional formula combining vehicle driving, shooting, stealth, and high-freedom side activities (fishing, sports, shopping, real estate, etc.), analyses suggest that the police wanted system and mask/disguise elements will be more granular. After release, a large-scale multiplayer mode following GTA Online is expected to be operated separately.

Development and marketing

In February 2022, Rockstar officially confirmed that development of the new game was 'well underway,' and in September of the same year, development build footage was leaked on a large scale in an unprecedented security incident. The first trailer, released on December 4, 2023, recorded about 90 million views or more in 24 hours, setting the fastest record for a non-music video on YouTube. On May 6, 2025, the second trailer was released, showing some gameplay and an expanded world.

Latest trends

Release schedule changes: It was initially announced for fall 2025, but in May 2025 it was delayed to May 26, 2026, and in November 2025 it was delayed again to November 19, 2026. Rockstar cited 'securing completeness' as the reason.
Platform strategy: For launch, a console-first strategy (PS5, Xbox Series X|S) is maintained, and a PC version has not yet been officially announced.
Marketing scale: The second trailer recorded more than 400 million views across all platforms in the 24 hours after release, and marketing centered on information disclosure is continuing without pre-orders being offered for an extended period.
Industry impact: A 'GTA effect' is being observed in which competing publishers adjust release schedules for major new titles, and securities firms forecast more than $3 billion in revenue in the first year of release and a sharp surge in Take-Two's performance.
Regulatory and social debate: Rating reviews and examinations by regulatory authorities in various countries over the level of violence and adult content expression are emerging as major variables before release.