GTA VI: Timeline 28
Rockstar confirms the next GTA is in development
In a community update on the Newswire, Rockstar said active development of the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series was well underway. The post did not name the game or give a date.
Large leak of development footage
Around 90 clips from an early build of the game were posted online after a hacker broke into Rockstar's internal systems. A British teenager linked to the Lapsus$ group was later given an indefinite hospital order in December 2023.
Rockstar confirms the network intrusion
Rockstar acknowledged that a third party had illegally accessed and downloaded confidential material, including early footage of the next GTA, and said work would continue as planned with no expected long-term effect on the project.
Rockstar announces that the first trailer is coming in early December
Rockstar president Sam Houser said the first trailer for the next Grand Theft Auto would arrive in early December 2023, tied to the company's 25th anniversary.
Trailer 1 dated for December 5
Rockstar set the premiere of the first trailer for December 5, 2023 at 9 a.m. Eastern Time.
Trailer 1 released early after a leak; 2025 window announced
A low-quality copy of the trailer appeared on X hours before the planned premiere, so Rockstar published the official video ahead of schedule. It revealed the title, the Leonida and Vice City setting, and a 2025 release on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Release window narrowed to fall 2025
Take-Two narrowed the release window from calendar 2025 to fall 2025 with its financial results, and CEO Strauss Zelnick declined to be more specific.
First delay: fall 2025 to May 26, 2026
Rockstar announced the game would release on May 26, 2026 instead of the previous fall 2025 window, saying it needed the extra time to reach the expected quality.
Trailer 2 released
Rockstar published the second trailer, set to Hot Together by The Pointer Sisters, with the story premise of Jason and Lucia and an invitation to explore the expanded official site.
Second delay: May 26, 2026 to November 19, 2026
Rockstar moved the release to Thursday, November 19, 2026, apologising for the longer wait and saying the extra months were needed to polish the game.
Pre-order date announced and cover art revealed
Rockstar said pre-orders would begin on June 25, opened wishlisting on the PlayStation Store and Microsoft Store, and revealed the official cover art in a short video.
Prices, editions and pre-order bonuses detailed
Rockstar and Take-Two announced the Standard Edition at 79.99 USD and the Ultimate Edition at 99.99 USD, the Vintage Vice City Pack bonus, a boxed version with a download code instead of a disc, and described the game as a single-player experience. Pre-load was given as November 12 at this point.
Pre-orders open worldwide
Pre-orders for both editions went live at midnight local time on the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store and retailers.
An Extended Look announced
Rockstar announced a long-form video, Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look, to premiere on Netflix on August 27 and reach YouTube and the official site later the same day.
An Extended Look premieres
The 26-minute 48-second gameplay presentation debuted on Netflix at 3 p.m. ET and on YouTube and the official site at 9 p.m. ET. Rockstar says it was captured entirely from in-game footage on PlayStation 5.
Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album announced
Rockstar announced the official soundtrack album, due on November 19 alongside the game.
Collector's box goes on pre-order
The Rockstar Store opened pre-orders for The Goodtime State - Vice City Collection, a limited collector's box of physical merchandise arriving November 19. The game is not included.
In-game radio stations previewed; merchandise collection launched
Rockstar published a Newswire post on the in-game radio stations and launched the Grand Theft Auto VI Collection of apparel and collectibles at the Rockstar Store.
PC version reported for early 2027 (unofficial) Reported, not confirmed
GamesBeat, citing unnamed industry sources, reported that a PC version is planned for the first three months of 2027. Rockstar has not announced a PC version.
Launch Trailer released
Rockstar released the 1-minute 29-second Launch Trailer, which debuted Flower in a Hurricane by Justice featuring Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Some outlets call it Trailer 3, a name Rockstar does not use.
Original score by Justice announced
Rockstar confirmed the French duo Justice as composers of the adaptive score and announced a 30-track score album for December 11, 2026.
Pre-load timing and size announced
Rockstar brought digital pre-load forward to November 10 (midnight local time on PS5, 12 a.m. GMT worldwide on Xbox), said boxed codes would reach retailers from November 12, and gave a size of up to 212 GB. It also confirmed a release at midnight local time on November 19.
Launch Gallery published
Two weeks before release, Rockstar added a new collection of screenshots, the Launch Gallery, to the official site.
Launch festival announced; Take-Two says development is complete (reported)
Rockstar announced Grand Theft Auto VI: The Festival, a live music event in Miami on November 21. The same day, press reports of Take-Two's earnings call say CEO Strauss Zelnick stated development was finished; the phrase 'gone gold' is media shorthand and was not verified against a transcript.
Pre-load begins; technical details confirmed
Digital pre-load opened and Rockstar released the 30-second Pre-Load Now video. The accompanying post confirmed a 30 fps target on both consoles, PS5 Pro extras (PSSR and exclusive ray-traced shadows) and availability through Xbox Cloud Gaming.
Boxed code version due at retailers
The physical version, a box with a download code and no disc, was scheduled to become available for shipping and pickup so buyers could redeem and pre-load before launch.
Launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S (scheduled) Scheduled
The game is scheduled to release at midnight local time. It is also the last day to get the Vintage Vice City Pack with a purchase, and the release day of the soundtrack album and the collector's box.
Grand Theft Auto VI: The Festival (scheduled) Scheduled
A launch music event at Mana Wynwood in Miami, presented with PlayStation, featuring artists from the game and its soundtrack.