GTA 6 development is a Rockstar Studios collaboration (multiple Rockstar labels under Rockstar North’s franchise lead). Publisher Rockstar Games first confirmed the next GTA was in active production on February 4, 2022.
Confirmation (2022–2023)
A July 7, 2022 Newswire post said staff had been shifting toward the next Grand Theft Auto “to exceed players’ expectations.” Take-Two earnings calls in August 2022 and May 2023 repeated that Rockstar aimed to set creative benchmarks — and FY2025 booking targets that fans read as a soft window.
Rockstar’s 25th anniversary note (November 8, 2023) promised the first trailer in early December. On December 1 they locked Trailer 1 for December 5, 9:00 a.m. ET — then a leak forced an early drop.
Trailer 1 and the name
Trailer 1 landed December 4, 2023 and confirmed the title Grand Theft Auto VI. Take-Two still talked 2025 at that point. USPTO filings for logo marks followed immediately. The YouTube upload passed ~90 million views in 24 hours and 200 million in about six months.
Date slips
May 16, 2024: Take-Two narrowed FY2025 to Fall 2025. That held through later 2024/early 2025 decks. On May 2, 2025 Rockstar moved the game to May 26, 2026 and, on May 6, shipped Trailer 2 (record multi-platform views; Pointer Sisters’ “Hot Together” exploded on Spotify). On November 6, 2025 the date moved again to November 19, 2026.
Cover art, pre-orders, editions
June 18, 2026: official cover art and pre-orders from June 25. June 24: website update for Ultimate Edition and the Vintage Vice City Pack, plus screenshot dumps. Pre-load: November 12, 2026.
An Extended Look
August 6, 2026 Rockstar announced a ~26-minute gameplay showcase for August 27 — Netflix first (3:00 p.m. ET), YouTube and the official site six hours later. Artwork showed Jason and Lucia hitting a Xero station. Watch and recap: GTA 6 trailer / Extended Look.
NBA 2K27 teaser
On August 25, 2026, NBA 2K socials teased Season 3 with GTA VI-style arcade cabinets and Trailer 1 announcement art — a Take-Two sibling crossover, not a gameplay reveal for Leonida itself.