GTA 6: Speculated Release Date, Trailer, Leaks, Rumor, Expected Map, Confirmed Platforms, and More

In Short
  • GTA 6, slated for release in 2025 exclusively on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, promises a return to Vice City within the new State of Leonida.
  • Confirmed protagonist Lucia and speculated character Jason are expected to bring a Bonnie and Clyde-esque storyline to the highly anticipated game.
  • Leaks hint at exciting additions like Dual-wielding, a Basketball mode, and significant updates to the game engine, adding to the anticipation surrounding GTA 6.

It has been ten years since GTA 5 hit the market and changed video games as we know it. After a decade of waiting, Rockstar Games finally revealed the first trailer for GTA 6 on December 5, 2023. While the trailer showcases the game in a cinematic style, we still had a lot of important speculations and leaks being confirmed. So, let’s unfold everything we know about Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6), including the map, characters, platforms, speculated release date, and much more.

This article was last updated on March 14, 2024, to include new details about GTA 6 along with title and header updation for better readability.

GTA 6 Confirmed Release Window & Announcement

Although Rockstar Games did not confirm the exact date, the trailer did give us a confirmed release window towards the end with a graphic showing GTA 6 releasing sometime in 2025. This release window is further supported by Rockstar Games asking their employees to return to the office for faster development. This timeline was previously supported by Jason Schreier, who also mentioned a tentative 2024/2025 date.

Schreier previously speculated the trailer drop date in a Bloomberg report, saying the first trailer for GTA 6 will be revealed on December 2023 on Rockstar’s 25th anniversary. Luckily after finally confirming the official trailer for Grand Theft Auto set for “early December” in 2023, Rockstar dropped the trailer.

Rockstar had previously confirmed that the “next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series is well underway” in February 2022 via an official Newswire post. Then, later, in June 2022, Rockstar Games shared an official statement stating they’re investing all their resources towards the development of GTA VI.

With all the news and speculations, it seems like the release date for GTA 6 is near. As the studio also posted a job alert for a Russian linguistic expert on a 12-month contract for translation and font work, we can speculate the date to be Q2-Q3 of 2025.

Release Timeline Speculations from Take-Two Financial Reports

In June 2023, Take-Two, the parent company of Rockstar Games, released its latest financial reports to the public. Among other announcements regarding the technical stuff, Take-Two has also hinted that it expects ‘groundbreaking titles‘ to be released in the first financial quarter of FY25 (April 2024 – May 2025)

Even though it hasn’t officially been confirmed, a lot of gamers are speculating that this groundbreaking title is going to be GTA 6. Furthermore, the company doubled down on its promise of significant revenue. In its latest earnings call held in August 2023, Take-Two CEO and chairman Strauss Zelnick mentioned that he remains confident that the business is positioned for significant profits for FY 25.

Going by this information, we can expect the launch date mentioned above as it will be useful in propelling the company to these increased profits.

Will the Game Be Delayed Further?

As of now, the development is in full force, according to the work details at Rockstar Games. However, Rockstar has previously mentioned why the game took a lot of hits causing the development a significant delay.

Much like any other AAA video game title’s development, GTA 6 has several elements affecting its progress and release. Among them, the major one was the COVID-19 pandemic, which halted the entire world, and the internal conflicts at Rockstar Games made them rethink their company policies and re-shuffle their team.

Even though most sources initially pointed toward a late 2024 launch, there was a potential problem. A massive data breach hit Rockstar Games on the 18th of September, 2022. This breach led to a GTA 6 leak, with 90+ gameplay videos and pieces of the game’s source code becoming available to the public. Due to this, it was expected that the game’s release date could be heavily pushed back by months or even years.

Thankfully, Rockstar Games soon after confirmed that while they are disappointed by the leak, their “work on the next Grand Theft Auto Game will continue as planned.”

However, many people think Rockstar Games was trying to milk the success and popularity of GTA 5 (and its online title) before bringing out its successor. And looking at the huge revenue of GTA 5, it wasn’t surprising that the studio did not want to shelf its best product just yet. However, with the trailer revealing the release windows, it is time for GTA 6 to enter the Grand Theft Auto universe.

GTA 6 Might Have Been Rebooted

While we understand the above delays, there is something to be said about a 10-year gap. However, some news confirms that GTA 6 might have actually been in work for a long time. The source of this news comes from the LinkedIn profile of Jon Young, an ex-Rockstar employee. Young worked for Rockstar Games from 2005 to 2018 on various projects. However, his last project before he left the company was as the Lead Video Editor in the research department from 2015 to 2018.

screen of a linkedin profile

This indicates that the creation of GTA 6 had already begun in some capacity back in 2015, which is merely 2 years after GTA 5’s launch. However, according to a statement by insider Tez2, the production was rebooted around the time Red Dead Redemption 2 was released. While this is to be taken with a grain of salt, it could be part of the reason we are facing delays in getting GTA 6.

GTA 6 Trailer 2 & Pre-Order Speculations

Rockstar was all set to premiere the first trailer of GTA 6 on December 5, 2023. However, due to some early leaks, the official trailer dropped early. Despite that, Rockstar Games broke all kinds of records through the first trailer of the hugely anticipated game.

According to new changes on the Rockstar Games website, it seems the trailer two and a possible pre-order might be around the corner. On the Rockstar Games page, where it was previously saying ‘Watch Trailer 1, ‘ it has now been changed to ‘Videos.’ This indicates more videos are about to be included on the GTA 6 official page. Rockstar Games has also added GTA 6 to the list of games available on the store. This creates a huge speculation about the pre-order and wishlist window for GTA 6.

GTA 6 Confirmed Supported Platforms

The gaming industry has changed drastically within the decade-long gap between GTA 6 and GTA 5. According to the trailer and a later poster confirmation, GTA VI will initially release on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. This means that older-gen consoles like the PS4 just might not get the game. So yes, there’s a good chance that GTA VI will be exclusive to PS5 and not be available for PS4 users.

But will GTA 6 be on PC? As of now, there is no confirmation of when the PC version will be released. However, if we speculate based on Rockstar Games trends, just like GTA 5, Rockstar will most likely port the game to PC users.

However, that might mean that GTA 6 will reach PC users only after the end of 2025. For context, GTA 5 was released on consoles in 2013 and on PC in 2015. In any case, it’s less than the time it took Marvel’s Spider-Man to release on PC.

What are the Speculated Possible Characters?

If we look at Rockstar’s history, we have sixteen games in the GTA franchise. Only two of these titles, the first two GTA games, had playable female characters. Men have entirely dominated every other iteration of the game.

This changes with the inclusion of Lucia in GTA 6. The first trailer of the game focuses on the story of Lucia and her connection with a male protagonist. It is speculated that the male lead will be called Jason. This makes Lucia the first playable female character in GTA’s history. This also means that Grand Theft Auto will have two main characters who will likely progress through the story together.

Through further speculation, we can predict the couple will be possibly stylized in Bonnie and Clyde’s image. For those unaware, B&C was an American criminal couple notorious for their bank robberies. For this reason, the characters will most likely work in tandem for the storyline and might even have a shared inventory.

Story/Plotline Rumors: Is It Anything New?

While we have a lot to go on in terms of GTA 6 characters, the story itself mostly remains a history. The protagonist duo is seen to be in a relationship through the trailer. From the rumors and speculations, we already know that the duo will most likely be stylized after Bonnie and Clyde.

This claim has been backed up by the GTA 6 leaked gameplay footage of September 2022, wherein we saw both female and male characters. Other leaked clips show gameplay from both character perspectives, hinting towards a switching system that will likely be even faster than GTA 5.

In another poster for GTA 6, we see Lucia wearing a prison anklet. This could possibly lead to the early game map being restricted. As per speculations, the more you progress, the map will open up further.

Expected & Confirmed Map Rumors: Vice City Returns

Speaking of maps, we now know GTA 6 will take place in the State of Leonida. The state will see the iconic Vice City returning as spotted in the trailer. Based on leaked gameplay and past patterns, it won’t be surprising to see GTA 6’s story play out in the iconic Vice City for most of the parts. The trailer confirms Bloomberg’s report, which describes the location of GTA 6 to be based in Miami and its neighboring areas.

Possible Gator Keys Appearance

From the trailer, it is certain that locations like Malibu Club and Ocean View Hotel are making a nostalgic return with GTA Vice City. We also see some other iconic Vice City locations, but the game will not stop there.

Rockstar Games might push beyond Vice City and onto neighboring areas as we know about the State of Leonida. In an early rumor, Gator Keys was scheduled to be included in the older GTA. However, the Gator Keys got cut in final development. This time around, we might see it for the first time along with Port Gelhorn. The trailer also shows swamps, lakes, and different environments. If we get lucky, we might even get different seasons.

Other Parts of Leonida: Will it Have a Massive Map?

As of now, there are no official renders of the GTA 6’s map. However, Reddit users have been hard at work. Using coordinates from GTA 5 and combining the leaked ones from GTA 6, Reddit’s mapping community has created a rendition of what the new game’s map will look like. As you can see yourself, the new map is supposedly going to be absolutely massive and considerably larger than the size of GTA V.

In the official poster of GTA 6, another user zoomed in and decoded a map artwork of the State of Leonida. We also see Leonida’s police car and a Sheriff’s badge in the trailer, further cementing the claim of the GTA 6 map being huge.

Expected Changes in Gameplay and Graphics

Talking about the gameplay mechanics of GTA 6 is hard at this point because of the lack of official announcements. Even through the trailer, the gameplay is not evident. There are a lot of things the fans want in GTA 6. So, while Rockstar hasn’t provided any clues, we do have some insights from the previously leaked gameplay footage and recent rumors.

Expected Movement, Driving, and New Items

For starters, movement and driving mechanics seem to have been worked on according to the leaks. Various characters, including the protagonists, now move with more fluency and have a natural gait. This is an improvement from GTA 5, where movement sometimes felt downright clunky. In the same vein, the leaked gameplay also shows better hand-to-hand combat when it comes to throwing punches and dodging. Gunplay also seems to have gotten better from the clips we have seen.

The leaks further estimate how Rockstar has also worked on introducing new gameplay mechanics, like the ability to carry bodies. Characters can now also crawl and go prone instead of plain crouching. We also see new items like painkillers, lockpicks, USB drives, and more. However, some things have been adopted from previous iterations, including the GTA V weapon wheel, which slows down the selection process.

Expected Revamped Police

More recent leaked footage by a now-suspended leaker account also shows modified AI behavior in GTA 6 police. A now-deleted minute video showed a Vice City officer hiding while trying to approach Lucia. He then stands up and walks when near a safe distance. It appears the enemy AI in GTA 6 will be smarter and apparently more hostile toward Lucia and Jason.

GTA 6 police might also use a new spawn mechanic where the AI waits for a timed countdown before approaching the crime scene. Combining the movement and combat changes above, it should be a notable improvement.

Weapons and Inventory Expectations

Based on the latest speculations and leaks, we expect the following weapons to be available for use in GTA 6:

  • Limited weapon storage with one slot for each type of weapon is a feature GTA 6 might have. However, some missions, like heist-based ones, can feature additional storage for looted items.
  • Following the trend of previous games, we expect most GTA 5 weapons to make a return in GTA 6. But, as per users with access to the leaked videos, there might also be some new weapons in the game, including a torch, speargun, golf ball, tracker jammer, pool cue, and specialized golf sticks.
  • Some social media users also claim that the leaked footage featured the ability to shoot while swimming. It is a new feature for the franchise. However, like Modern Warfare 2, it might limit itself to pistols only.

Other Gameplay Speculations

Although there is no confirmation, a recent report speculates the San Andreas basketball minigame returning in GTA 6. This will be in the game along with Dual-wielding and more of Dismemberment and gore. According to the source, opening cars will be harder too.

Speculated GTA Radio Artists

While we do get more information on the voice actors for the protagonists, do not forget about the GTA Radio. Recently, T-Pain revealed that he is barred from playing GTA Online RP as he is working on GTA 6 tracks. Within a few weeks, another classic GTA Radio artist ScHoolboy Q announces his involvement in GTA 6 too. This can result in a lot of celebrity appearances in GTA 6.

Expected New Game Engine

Every video game’s story is highly impacted by the capability of the engine used to develop that game. A game engine is the base platform on which the game’s world loads, functions, and interacts with the player. Keeping that in mind, Chris Klippel, the leaker who gave us GTA 6’s release timeline, has claimed that Grand Theft Auto is being developed using the new RAGE engine.

This new engine is more potent than its counterpart, which powers GTA 5 and RDR2. If this claim is valid, then we can expect not only jaw-dropping graphics but also more elaborate missions. With powerful platforms and a smarter game engine, GTA 6 can give us more than the “go and kill” missions currently dominating the franchise.

Will GTA 6 Have Multiplayer Online Mode?

If the current GTA Online multiplayer (based on GTA V) game’s massive success is any indication, then GTA 6 Online is not impossible. But we don’t just have to rely on speculations. Several new listings on Rockstar Games’ job openings website have also mentioned “online” gameplay in their descriptions.

This key detail indicates the development of potential GTA 6’s online multiplayer content. However, it could also mean new content for GTA 5 Online, which is highly unlikely to keep their current team in mind.

GTA 6 September 2022 Leak

Note:

Every detail written in this article is purely based on social media posts from various sources. This also includes posts that use major GTA 6 information of the September 2022 data leak. However, we do not have any access to the leaked material and we condemn such acts.

  • The leaked clips, supposedly, feature references to Vice City. There are cop cars with VCPD (Vice City Police Department) on them, and a clip also showed a metro train with Vice City written on its side.
  • Rockstar Games’ RDR2 has a feature called “eagle eye,” which allows a player to see all the interactable spots in a specific location. A similar feature might make it into GTA 6 to support its highly interactive world and make it easier for players to spot cues and items.
  • GTA 5 featured a useable mobile phone and internet system. Now, as per leaks, GTA 6 seems to be expanding on that, as some Twitter users mention seeing a WhatUp! Messenger notification in the leaked footage. If that turns out to be true, we might see chat-based communication between characters or online players.
  • In terms of movement, the leaked footage supposedly features crawling animations, along with existing crouching and the ability to take cover. Of these, only the ability to go prone and crawl is completely new.
  • Lastly, many Twitter users also pointed out better character movement in new GTA 6 leaks. They claimed that the NPC movement in GTA 6 feels more natural, just like it was in GTA 4. However, we are unsure if GTA 6 is bringing back GTA 4’s physics engine or has developed an entirely new one.

That is everything we know about the highly anticipated 2025 release GTA 6. We will add more information as soon as we hear more. Are you excited for GTA 6 release? Tell us in the comments below!

Comments 14
  • Celestine says:

    okayI see the map is big, who is very nice but i have question in gta 6 frenkilin and trevor and michael in gta 6 they will play they will be played they will be there they will be there

  • Rave. N says:

    Since the game’s map is gonna be bigger than it’s immediate prequel, and if players have to perform serious drive or flight, it would be considered boring/tiring.
    I hope rock star adds the mechanic of being able to order a cab or any other means of public transport, with players having to pinpoint their destination on map by placing target, also arriving at the destination within probably 5-10 secs, and having to pay specific amount of money as with realism.
    It’s worth knowing that every GTA ever made possessed a cab, yet players weren’t able to order any.Additional mechanism could also be added, where
    a player chooses to pay the fare or not, as a consequence, should attract a wanted level.

  • Rave. N says:

    Apart from special abilities that slow down time, Characters can have this ability:wielding the same gun from different weapon class at the same time, like shotguns and handguns, while gaining regeneration. Both health and armor replenish to maximum.

  • Blake says:

    That last bit about Rockstar possibly releasing gta 6 on the next gen consoles than the current gen and gta players would be happy. I can tell you as a gta player i would not be very thrilled about having to buy a new console

  • Mal says:

    I can tell you for a fact if Rockstar actually implements what they plan with the game being woke, the company will commit financial suicide.

    The reason Rockstar games are popular is because the company traditionally makes games that don;t give a F%$^, and are edgy, this is the entirety of their selling points and why people buy them.

    To deviate from this strategy is a horrible business decision, and the last thing people are going to remember in 5 to 10 years about Rockstar Games is:

    They Got woke, and went Broke. Like every other studio that has went woke, and then lost Millions, and in some cases, Billions.

    I will tell you for a fact if GTA6 has any politically correct garbage in it, I will not be buying it and neither will millions of other people.

  • Chris rood says:

    Looking for incredible hackers google demoninvader hacker

  • MARIUS OTTESEN HØLLESLI says:

    i want it it to be more mission based like story with new dlc nre towns maybe take airport to new citys. and. maybe play it online in mission based campaign. i never played it online since it was just race capture the flag so on i like san andreas online races

  • Jerkson says:

    If the game goes full woke or if they try to clean up their image to much I’ll just wait to buy the game used and avoid online so as not to give them my money.

    The offensive jokes and edginess were the best parts and really were what sold the games initially (3, vice city, San Andreas, 5) combined with the sects and gratuitous violence. Please tell me Rockstar isn’t going to lose their balls and start whimping out on us.

    Neutering the game would be a bad move. However Rockstar will probably pull a Netflix on this next game not realizing that woke people are a minority and that probably weren’t going to buy their game anyways.

    What they should do to make the game really offensive is make the main characters conservative Cubans who bash communism and Castro. Perhaps set up a story where their grandparents owned a major cigar company and tobacco farm and escaped Cuba to avoid being offed by Castro. Which would be realistic as far as Miami goes.

    No. They don’t have the balls to do that. They are probably going to play it safe and be complete pansies for the first time ever. There probably won’t even be any titty bars in this game.

    As far as being able to travel to different cities it would be cool if such locations were always available after being unlocked by flying to them via plane…and you could travel there at any time after unlocking…and if the maps were also massive.

    I really enjoyed the open world feel of 5. It was excellent. The hunting, scuba diving, freediving, orcas, dolphins, mountains planes, helicopters, and so on.

    Oh and another thing that would be cool is bringing back the weight lifting to increase stats like in San Andreas, and the martial arts dojos, boxing gyms, and so on to change your fighting style.

    I hope they put in Brazilian JiuJitsu, Traditional Karate, Taekwondo, Muay Thai and so on and let you learn that stuff with some kind of belt system, and be able to combine moves from different styles and stuff.

    Elbows, clinches, throws, joint locks, spinning back kicks, the works.

    I mean yeah it would be useless against guns but it would be pretty cool to have full on MMA fights and stuff with npc’s. Maybe they can put in some disarms that can only be used if the guy with a gun is really close.

    • warrior says:

      titty bars? lmao

      • Saykat kayal says:

        OP

  • Cooper says:

    I want this one to incoperate franklin, trevors, and michales family with them in it and to see how the storie plays out in los antos

  • Gaya Ngangana says:

    They should also incorporate a mission from a previous time just like they incorporate missions from different locations.

  • manish yadav says:

    Gta 6 can play Android mobile 📲

  • Varunrajput says:

    GTA 6 can play in mobile 📱

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