Barring any delays, we're around seven months out from Grand Theft Auto 6. After a series of leaks, the game was officially revealed in December 2023 and originally slated for a 2025 launch. A pair of delays, though, pushed that to November 19, 2026.
With just seven months until that date, news on Rockstar's next title is all but nonexistent, and it turns out the company's marketing strategy is very different for this game compared to GTA 5, which had by now, received a ton.
Grand Theft Auto 5 Previews Were Out Almost A Year Before The Game, GTA 6 Has Had Nothing
Much like GTA 6, GTA 5's first trailer came a couple of years before the game's official release. The first trailer dropped on November 2, 2011, with the game releasing on September 27, 2013. The marketing for the two games after their first trailers couldn't have been more different, though.
Following GTA 6's first cinematic trailer in 2023, we've received one more trailer and some character images and descriptions on the game's official website. That's it. GTA 5 on the other hand...
According to Sutori, things went quiet for a few months after the trailer before Rockstar began slowly drip-feeding players screenshots of the game. The second trailer came exactly a year after the first, and then the previews began.
In November/December 2012, 11 months before Grand Theft Auto 5's official release, the game featured on the front cover of Game Informer, IGN had an interview with director Lezlie Benzies (who has recently gone off the deep end with MindsEye), and many other outlets shared their impressions of the game. So far, with only seven months to go, we've had nothing.
Marketing continued to ramp up from there, with billboards popping up in New York, and more trailers and image drops preceding launch.
It's a stark contrast to what we're seeing now, and there are potentially a handful of reasons. Rockstar has been embroiled in controversy, with 30 employees fired in an alleged attempt at union-busting, and previous leaks have likely scared the company. It would make sense if the developers wanted to avoid any details leaking, given that leak culture is becoming more prevalent, so they're holding off on revealing any details and offering the press a look until much closer to launch. There's also the chance the game gets delayed again, with Spring 2027 suggested by some rumors.
Further scuppering Rockstar's plans, a hacking group breached the company over the weekend and demanded a ransom by April 14. Nothing has seemingly gone smoothly. However, with the game currently scheduled for November, something has to give soon.
OpenCritic Reviews
- Released
- November 19, 2026
- ESRB
- Rating Pending - Likely Mature 17+
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE)
- Genre(s)
- Action, Adventure
