Grand Theft Auto 6 is reportedly set to be announced this week by publisher Rockstar Games. As per Bloomberg, the manically anticipated next entry in the GTA series will also receive a trailer next month to coincide with Rockstar’s 25th anniversary celebration. While not explicitly mentioned, the footage could likely be revealed during The Game Awards on December 7, which is also where the upcoming Elden Ring DLC Shadow of the Erdtree is expected to get a release date. Rockstar Games hasn’t shared much about the game since disclosing that it’s under development, with an earnings report from Rockstar parent Take-Two Interactive in May alluding to a launch window set in fiscal year 2025.
While several leaks about GTA 6 have turned out to be duds, the Bloomberg report states that multiple credible sources have fed the same information over an imminent announcement for the upcoming game. In September last year, the creators at Rockstar Games suffered a massive blow when over 90 clips of in-development GTA 6 gameplay footage leaked online, showing two playable protagonists — a man and a woman — partaking in a heist at a diner. This is in line with previous leaks which suggested that the franchise would be introducing its first female lead, in a story that’s somewhat inspired by the bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde. This is allegedly part of Rockstar’s attempt at cleaning its ‘frat-boy culture,’ which led to its previous games portraying women as sex objects or nagging individuals. It also appears as though GTA 6 will be set in a contemporary version of Vice City, with the social media platform Life Invader making a return.
Take-Two’s CEO Strauss Zelnick later claimed that the leak was an ‘emotional matter’ and that it never affected business in any form. The company aims to achieve over $8 billion (about Rs. 66,618 crore) through fiscal years 2025 and 2026, by launching ‘several groundbreaking titles.’ Indeed, one of these is expected to be the long-gestating GTA 6. Expectations for the game have skyrocketed in recent years, with some desperate fans grasping at straws and mistaking a Red Dead Online update as a teaser, in addition to latching onto the idea that historically, Rockstar saves its biggest announcements for October. So far, there hasn’t been official word on GTA 6 release, and the company has stuck to keeping its GTA Online lobby alive with new in-game events. GTA V has sold more than 185 million copies, at the time of writing.
Back in August Rockstar finally ported Red Dead Redemption 1 to PS4, PS5, and the Nintendo Switch. The port received heavy criticised for its lack of 60fps support and its $50 price tag. Support for higher framerate was later added to the PS5 version, albeit now the Xbox players are left stuck with the base 30fps version with backwards compatibility. Take-Two’s upcoming launch slate includes a new Mafia game from Hangar 13, a new BioShock title, and a punkish shooter called Judas from Ken Levine (creator of BioShock).
GTA 6 will likely release on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X, with a PC release planned for later, as has been the custom with Rockstar titles.