It’s not hyperbole to suggest that Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 6 is the most eagerly awaited video game of all time. Loyal fans of Rockstar Games’ long-standing franchise have been waiting more than a decade for the next iteration of this immersive, open-world crime sim.
We can hardly believe that Grand Theft Auto V was released almost 12 years ago. The seventh iteration of the GTA series was practically flawless. It still has a 97 out of 100 rating with Metacritic, as well as 5/5 and 10/10 ratings with video game publications GamesRadar+ and Edge.
The universal acclaim was unsurprising when you consider just how detailed and engaging the game’s gameplay was. With a much bigger open-world area of Los Santos, Blaine County, and San Andreas countryside to explore, there was so much to see and do. You could, quite literally, live your own virtual life.
You could take your character scuba diving, visit cinemas, and even sit down in brick-and-mortar casinos to play classic table games like roulette. From a visual perspective, Rockstar’s graphics made it hard to tell the difference between their virtual roulette tables and the authentic roulette games developed and powered by random number generators (RNGs) for bettors to use on desktop and mobile devices.
Almost nine years after the release of GTA V, Rockstar confirmed the rumors that GTA 6 was already in development. In September 2022, leaked video clips of the unfinished game emerged online. It was more than a year until Rockstar formally announced the game in December 2023.
What Information Can We Glean from Rockstar Games?
In early December 2023, Rockstar unveiled the inaugural trailer for GTA 6. It was released to commemorate the studio’s 25th anniversary and achieved a whopping 93 million views on YouTube, becoming the most liked video game trailer of all time with 8.9 million likes.
The trailer, which included Tom Petty’s “Love Is a Long Road” as its soundtrack, whetted the appetite for more from Rockstar. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, we’re still awaiting further trailers.
What we do know is that the setting for GTA 6 will be in the fictional US state of Leonida. It’s going to be modelled closely on Florida, with Vice City (the fictional version of Miami) expected to feature. This was the heartbeat of previous iterations in 2002 and 2006.
The plot is going to be centered around a criminal pair, rather than a solo protagonist. Lucia becomes the first female protagonist in the franchise since 2000. She’s joined by her male partner, who is unnamed as yet. The first official trailer from Rockstar Games shows them breaking out of prison custody.
At the time of writing, GTA 6 is slated for release in the Q3/Q4 of this year. Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two, have stated that the official release date will remain a secret for the time being to “maintain the anticipation and excitement” surrounding the game. In our opinion, letting gamers know the release date is unlikely to dampen any enthusiasm regarding its release. If anything, it would whet the appetite and allow long-time fans to count down the days.
One hot topic of conversation surrounding GTA 6 is the likely cost of buying it. Many believe the game is most likely to retail at $70, despite some calls for it to be as much as $100. Some analysts within the gaming industry want it to hit $100 to act as a watershed moment for gaming developers. They argue this would raise the benchmark retail price for elite video games and therefore increase revenues for game studios.
Strauss Zelnick, the head of Take-Two Interactive, said the firm preferred to keep its powder dry and unleash marketing materials “relatively close to the release window”. If a second official trailer rears its head in the coming weeks, we can safely assume the fall 2025 release date is firmly on track.
