Finally, on February 4, 2022, Rockstar confirmed that it's working on Grand Theft Auto 6, the highly-anticipated entry to the massively popular open-world action-adventure video game franchise.
After years of rumors and speculations, Rockstar Games finally announced GTA 6 on its official website. Although the developer hasn't confirmed that "Grand Theft Auto 6" is the official title, Rockstar did confirm that it's developing the next mainline entry in the GTA series.
The developer informed fans what's coming for the GTA franchise following the massive success of Grand Theft Auto 5. "With the unprecedented longevity of GTAV, we know many of you have been asking us about a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series. With every new project we embark on, our goal is always to significantly move beyond what we have previously delivered — and we are pleased to confirm that active development for the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series is well underway," Rockstar wrote. "We look forward to sharing more as soon as we are ready, so please stay tuned to the Rockstar Newswire for official details."
While GTA 6 is still in its early stages of development, fans will most likely have to wait longer to find out more details about the game, but it's good to know that Rockstar already confirmed it. The developer may not have revealed GTA 6's release date, characters, story, and setting, there's plenty of rumors that could hint at what we should expect from the next GTA game.
Here's everything we know so far about GTA 6, including potential details about the game's release, map, time period, trailer, and more rumors and news. Note that we will update this article once we get more information from various sources, so feel free to bookmark this page.
GTA 6 Release Date: Will GTA 6 be released by 2023?
Probably not. While Rockstar Games already confirmed it's developing GTA 6, it hasn't announced an official release date or release window for the game. However, there have been multiple reports and rumors that could hint at when Grand Theft Auto 6 will be released.
In early Feb. 2022, Rockstar Games officially confirmed that GTA 6 is already in "active development". According to a report from Kotaku, this "new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series" was in early development as of April 2020, and that the new installment is planned to be a "moderately sized release" which will be "expanded with regular updates over time". So it's likely that the game may be further along in development than we expected.
The Kotaku report didn't provide any information about GTA 6's release, but publisher Take-Two Interactive's marketing budget may have shared the game's best release date hint yet. As reported by VentureBeat, Take-Two's 10-K SEC filing from 2020 (which showed financial plans for the next give years) reveals that the company expects to spend $89 million on marketing between April 2023, and the end of March 2024, which, the report points out, is a huge spike.
According to industry analyst Jeff Cohen, GTA 6 is the reason for this spike, as it's expected to release within this period. Cohen noted that previous marketing budgets have predicted the releases of other upcoming major titles from Take-Two Interactive, including Red Dead Redemption. If this prediction is accurate, it's likely that GTA 6 will be released sometime between April 2023 and March 2024.
This almost lines up with leaker Tom Henderson's prediction of GTA 6's release date. The leaker, who's mainly known for his accurate leaks on Call of Duty and Battlefield, uploaded a video sharing various GTA 6 details. In the video, the leaker predicts that Rockstar Games won't release GTA 6 until between 2024 and 2025, according to sources.
Henderson explained the reasons for this release window. The most important one is that apparently, Rockstar Games has been focusing seriously on "employee wellbeing", with the company aiming to avoid crunch culture. According to Henderson, Rockstar didn't want to announce GTA 6 until it was confident that it will hit its release date, with the aim to prevent delays.
Another reason Henderson claims is that GTA 6 will only be released on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Given the current shortages for PS5 and Xbox Series X, the developer is waiting until there is a "big enough market" for these consoles.
The third reason Henderson explained for the 2024/2025 release date is GTA 5's popularity, claiming that Rockstar would likely not want to release the GTA 6 while GTA 5 is still enjoying its massive success.
Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier supported Henderson's prediction, saying that Henderson's claims "matches up with what I've heard".
With these details taken into account, it's likely that a 2024/2025 release date for GTA 6 makes more sense, so that's a lot further way than fans hoped for, but we'll have to wait for Rockstar Games announce its official release date.
In March 2022, Rockstar Mag's Chris Klippel took to Twitter to report that Rockstar Games has reached "an important step in the development of GTA 6." To this end, Klippel says that things should start speeding up internally and an official announcement and reveal could happen in 2022.
Addition to this, Klippel speculates GTA 6 could release in 2024, basing this date of the release schedule of previous Rockstar Games' titles. The pattern shows that two years separate the reveal and release of its two most recent games, GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, so it's likely that GTA 6 might be released in 2024. However, take everything here with a grain of salt until Rockstar officially announces the game's release date.
Grand Theft Auto leaker Matheusvictorbr also shared a cryptic tweet hinting that GTA 6 will be released in 2024. However, an earnings call from Take-Two Interactive (Rockstar's parent company) may suggest otherwise. Based on this information, it looks like GTA 6 won't be released until April 2026 or beyond, but nothing has officially been confirmed yet.
GTA 6 Trailer: Has Rockstar Games released one already?
Despite the official confirmation for GTA 6, Rockstar Games didn't release a trailer alongside the announcement, but based on previous announcements from the company, the first trailer could arrive soon.
The latest information about the first trailer for GTA 6 comes from Rockstar Games prominent insider Tez2. According to Tez2's report, GTA 6 will be revealed in 2022. The insider didn't share any additional details about it, but they noted that the trailer will be similar to the GTA 5 trailer, so don't expect a full CGI trailer that reveals a bunch of gameplay footage; it will likely show a "work-in-progress" version of the game.
Over on Twitter, GTA 6 News & Leaks shared a screenshot that was sent to them revealing an unpublished video titled "Grand Theft Auto VI -- Trailer" from the officials YouTube account of Rockstar Games. However, it's likely that this leak is fake. A screenshot of the trailer shows an "M" rating, so that's a red flag because it wouldn't have a mature rating unless it was close to release, which seems highly unlikely at this point.
GTA 6 Map & Time Period: Where and when will the game be set?
When Rockstar Games officially announced GTA 6, it didn't confirm where or when the game will take place, but there's a bunch of rumors. Unfortunately, there haven't been any concrete reports as yet, and it's unclear which rumors are considered credible, but most of them claim that the map will be massive, with some claiming that it will potentially be the entirety of the United States.
According to YouTube channel The Know, GTA 6 is being developed under the code name Project Americas, and the reason for this is that apparently because players will be able to travel between the US and South America in the game, though the majority of the events will take place in the former. This in combination with the YouTuber's assertion that GTA 6 will majorly be set in Vice City (the franchise's version of Miami) suggests there could be focus on drug-running.
A now-deleted Reddit post supported some of the claims reported by The Know. The Redditor behind the leak, the game, codenamed Project Americas, has been in production since 2015, though it was placed on hold while Red Dead Redemption 2 was being prioritized. According to the post, GTA 6 could be set across multiple decades (1970s to 1980s) and there are various locations (Vice City, Liberty City, and a fictional city based on Rio de Janeiro).
It's rumored that GTA 6's story will allegedly be presented through chapters, with a huge emphasis on the visuals of changes in time as the story progresses. The game will reportedly focus on one playable protagonist named Ricardo and play through their story as a rising drug lord heavily inspired by Netflix's Narcos series.
The poster claims that the game is currently in pre-alpha status, so the developers could still make significant changes.
Since early 2020, a batch of 'leaked' images have been surfacing online that allegedly reveal regions of the overall GTA 6 map - and align with the Project Americas rumor. Four maps have been leaked so far, each appearing to feature a different region of the overall map.
If you're wondering what the entire map looks could potentially look like with these locations, you can check out this concept image from graphic designer RealityDesign, who posted it on the GTA forums.
Another rumor claims that GTA 6 could be set in London, which started with a comment from Rockstar Games's co-founder Dan Houser, who told Polygon back in September 2013:
“At the moment, it feels like GTA’s DNA is contemporary-ish, American-ish, English-speaking-ish, because that’s what it has been… But that doesn’t necessarily limit it to those, that’s just what we’ve done so far.”
However, during an interview with The Guardian later that month, Houser shot down a London setting.
In March 2022, industry analyst and insider Michael Pachter shared a rumor that suggests that GTA 6 will take players all over the world, and that it would take 400 to 500 hours to beat.
"GTA 6 has been in development since 2014. They may have not been writing code back then as they were figuring out the story, but by 2015 they were writing code," Pachter said. "Anybody who is so naive as to think Rockstar with its 2000 employees is sitting on their butts twiddling their thumbs... No, they're not, these guys are working their asses off to create amazing content, but GTA 6 is going to take 10 years or more. The reason is, my understanding is, it is a mash-up of Vice City, San Andreas, Liberty City (so GTA 3), and Europe, London for sure. You're going to be able to go anywhere on those continents and you're going to have missions that take you all those places."
Patcher continued: "It'll probably be literally a four or five-hundred-hour game by the time they get it out. That's what they are doing now, that's what they've turned GTA 6 into. I get it because they're like, we're gonna charge you 60 bucks, and then we're going to give you an online experience and you're going to have to carry drugs from London to LA, you're going to have to go through the port in Miami. They're going to do all this really cool stuff."
On April 23, a supposedly Rockstar Games insider named Boco shared what appears to be a leaked map for GTA 6. However, this leak could be fake, but if it's real, this would confirm that South America will be one of the locations featured in the upcoming game.
GTA 6 News and Rumors: What are reports and rumors saying?
2 GTA 6 Actors Possibly Leaked
On March 3, 2022, a leaker claims that Rockstar Games has hired Jorge Consejo and Guy A. Fortt for GTA 6. They're not household names, which is what the developer usually prefers. While Rockstar has worked with many big names over the years, they usually prefer to cast lesser-known acting talent in their games, especially for major roles.
Consejo is best known for his work in various Spanish productions, according to his IMBD page, which reveals tht he played roles in El Rostro de Analía (2008), Código Postal (2006) and Pasión Prohibida (2013). The other actor, Guy A. Fortt, is best known for his work on Broadway in Oprah Winfrey's The Color Purple, according to his IMDB page.
Did Rockstar Games tease return to Vice City?
Over on Twitter, YouTuber ROBHADDReal pointed out that back in December, they visited Rockstar London and it was there, they found an "I'd rather be in Vice City" sticker stuck on a window of the building. Some fans are wondering if this is actually a tease or an Easter Egg, but there's no official confirmation about it yet. The sticker was seen on a window of the Rockstar London Building amidst the game's Vice City speculation.
Could this be a tease or Easter egg? No one knows for sure, but a lot of rumors are suggesting that Vice City will be one of the main locations of GTA 6.
GTA 6 will be the only new game from Rockstar this gen?
Prominent leaker AccNG reported that Rockstar could be putting its all into developing GTA 6 well. In a January 2022 Q&A, when asked how many new titles we should expect from Rockstar this generation, they said, “If we are talking about new games, then I think only GTA 6 will be released.”
Potential GTA 6 Easter Egg?
On Feb. 18, Twitter outlet GTA 6 News & Leaks shared a possible GTA 6 tease within a recent Rockstar Games newswire post for GTA Online featuring a notebook with a bloodstain and what seems to be a police logo on it. Details are unclear, but the notebook seems to be in the hand of someone wearing a white glove. If you zoom in, the details look fuzzier, but fans think they can make out a face, a desk, and a pen.
Back to Liberty City?
A February 2022 post on Rockstar's website promoting GTA Online featured a mysterious bloodstained notebook with what seems to be a police badge. It's impossible to make out many details, but Twitter account GTA 6 News & Leaks recently pointed out that the badge looks similar to the Liberty City police department badge. GTA fans already know that Liberty City is Rockstar's fictional take on New York City.
Could this be an Easter egg suggesting that GTA 6 will feature Liberty City as one of the main locations of the game?
GTA 5 Actor's Wishes For GTA 6
During an interview with SAY CHEESE!, Grand Theft Auto 5 actor Shawn Fonteno, who played Franklin Clinton in the game, discussed what he wants to see from GTA 6. Of course, he wants to see Rockstar bring him back, noting that he's the only protagonist to be alive in every ending of GTA 5, but he also wants other characters to show up in the next installment as well. Fonteno went on to say that he wants to be able to travel between different cities like Liberty City, Los Santos, and Vice City to catch up with familiar characters.
GTA 6 Rumor Leaks Multiple Cities, Including Cuba
According to a rumor shared by Matehusvictorbr, GTA 6 will take players back to both Liberty City and Vice City. This rumor also claims that GTA 6 is going international, teasing that the game will, at one point, take players to Cuba, but it didn't say specifically which part. The rumor also claims that Carcer City will return. For those unfamiliar, Carcer City is a dark and dystopian city that became the setting of Manhunt, a different series created by Rockstar Games. It's in close proximity to Liberty City, and it's largely understood to be a caricature of a Rust Belt city.
GTA 6 Leak Suggests "Incredible Graphics" With Rage Engine 9
Chris Klippel, an industry insider and the creator of Naughty Dog Magazine and Rockstar Magazine, mentions the new graphics engine of GTA 6, which is said to be Rage 9, and it's expected to be incredible. He also says that he has received quite positive feedback about it, so there's no reason to be disappointed now.
More interestingly, Chris mentions that we are looking at an engine that will be ahead of its time, so this means that GTA 6 could feature graphics than any game you can find in this generation. However, if you look at Rockstar's history, you'd notice that this is not the first time they've done something like this. The company is known for pushing the threshold and setting new standards for the gaming industry.
A major rumor claims that there will be destructible buildings in GTA 6.
Rockstar's Job Listings for GTA 6?
As PCGamesN reported, 70 new positions for Rockstar Games have been posted in July 2022. There are 227 open positions, with the jobs ranging everywhere from an associate designer responsible for "open-world events" to an associate dialogue designer to help create "ground-breaking interactive narratives."
The listings also include calls for engineers, animators, testers, and more, and they're hiring across various Rockstar studios, including Rockstar San Diego, Rockstar New York, Rockstar North, Rockstar India, and Rockstar New England.
While the listings doesn't specifically mention "GTA 6", one position does mention GTA+, the new subscription service for GTA Online that could potentially factor into Rockstar's upcoming open-world game.
GTA 6 Leaker Reveals How Big The Game's Map Is
According to leaker Matheusvictorbr, GTA 6's map is as large as the map in Red Dead Redemption 2, which is massive, especially when you count Guarma, a second, standalone map in the game. The leaker also claims that GTA 6 will have a second, standalone map that will take players to the Caribbean, just like RDR2.
Hacker Leaks 90 footage/clips from GTA 6
On Sept. 18, GTAForums, one of the most popular online discussion boards to discuss all things Grand Theft Auto, became a surprising home to leaked assets from the still-in-development GTA 6. Leaks quickly spread to various social media websites like Twitter and YouTube.
The leaked clips revealed unfinished assets and showed several elements of GTA 6 in development including parts of the world, NPC AI, and gunplay. The leaks seemingly confirmed various rumors about already existed online, such as the existence of male and female protagonists.
The assets were leaked by “teapotuberhacker”, who also claimed to be the same individual who hacked the popular ride-hailing app Uber earlier that month.
“Here are 90 footage/clips from GTA 6,” they commented.
Rockstar Officially Confirms Leak
On Sept. 19, 2022, Rockstar shared an official statement confirming the hack from their systems.
“We recently suffered a network intrusion in which an unauthorized third party illegally accessed and downloaded confidential information from our systems, including early development footage for the next Grand Theft Auto.”
GTA 6 Hacker Reportedly Arrested in London
According to police in London, a 17-year-old teenager, who's suspected of involvement in major breaches at Uber and Rockstar Games, has been arrested on Sept. 22 and charged with multiple counts of computer misuse and breaches of bail.
The suspect's name was not released due to U.K. reporting restrictions on identifying non-adults. The arrest was part of an investigation by the City of London Police, which primarily focuses on financial crimes and supported by the nation's National Crime Agency.
“The City of London Police arrested a 17-year-old in Oxfordshire [on September 22] on suspicion of hacking, as part of an investigation supported by the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU),” said Detective Inspector Michael O’Sullivan from the City of London Police’s Cyber Crime Unit. “He has been charged in connection with this investigation and remains in police custody.”
If you have any leaks or rumors you'd like us to feature here, feel free to let me know at Twitter: @JakeVyper.