Timeline
GTA 6 Timeline
Every official beat, in order — Rockstar and Take-Two announcements only. 77 days remain until launch.
Rockstar confirms the next Grand Theft Auto is in development
A short Newswire post ends nine years of speculation: active development on the next entry in the series is officially underway.
Rockstar announces the reveal trailer
Rockstar confirms the first GTA 6 trailer will arrive in December, alongside a note marking the studio’s 25th anniversary.
Trailer 1 arrives — a day early
Released ahead of schedule after leaking online, the 91-second reveal confirms Vice City, the state of Leonida and Lucia, and draws more than 90 million views in 24 hours.
The first firm release date: May 26, 2026
Rockstar replaces its loose "fall 2025" window with a concrete date, apologising for the additional wait.
Trailer 2 and the big official-site update
Nearly three minutes centred on Jason and Lucia as a couple, plus an official site overhaul naming the supporting cast and the state’s regions.
Delayed again — to November 19, 2026
Rockstar moves the date a second time, citing the extra months needed "to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect."
Pre-orders open
Standard Edition at $79.99 and Ultimate Edition at $99.99 go live, with the free Vintage Vice City Pack attached to copies bought through November 20.
Take-Two: no further delays expected
CEO Strauss Zelnick tells Variety the November date is firm — the strongest signal yet that the third time is the real one.
Preload date confirmed — and the disc is gone
Rockstar confirms preloading opens November 12 at local midnight, a week before launch, and that the boxed edition contains a download code rather than a game disc.
Rockstar dates "An Extended Look" — on Netflix first
Rockstar announces Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look, premiering exclusively on Netflix at 3pm ET on August 27 before reaching YouTube at 9pm ET — the first time a Grand Theft Auto reveal has gone anywhere before Rockstar's own channels.
An Extended Look premieres
The next official GTA 6 footage debuts on Netflix at 3pm ET, then free on the Rockstar Games YouTube channel and the GTA VI site at 9pm ET.
Preload opens
Downloads begin at local midnight on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, one week ahead of release.
Launch day
Grand Theft Auto VI releases worldwide on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Only officially announced events appear here. Unconfirmed claims — including the still-unannounced third trailer — live in the rumor tracker with a status and sources.