GTA 6 has had one of the longest and most closely watched development cycles in gaming history. Here's every confirmed milestone from the first credible rumours to the upcoming November 2026 launch.
2013–2018: GTA 5 launches, development quietly begins
GTA 5 released in September 2013 and became one of the best-selling entertainment products in history. Within months, Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser confirmed the studio was "already working on" future projects. Given the typical gap between GTA releases (GTA 4 to 5 was five years), development on GTA 6 almost certainly began in earnest by 2014–2015, while the GTA 5 PC port and GTA Online continued to be expanded.
The years 2016–2018 brought Red Dead Redemption 2 into the spotlight, and it's likely GTA 6's full team formation was delayed until after RDR2 shipped in October 2018. Rockstar has always worked sequentially on its flagship titles rather than fully in parallel.
2019–2020: Early reports emerge
In 2019, Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier — one of the most reliable sources on Rockstar — reported that GTA 6 was in early development and that Rockstar was working to improve its workplace culture following the Red Dead Redemption 2 crunch controversy. In 2020, Schreier confirmed the game was "deep in development" and that the initial scope had been deliberately scaled back from an enormous original vision to ensure it could ship without requiring staff to work unsustainable hours.
February 2022: Rockstar officially confirms GTA 6
In February 2022, Rockstar Games officially confirmed for the first time that GTA 6 was in active development. The statement was deliberately minimal: "active development on the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series" — no title, no details. But it was the first official acknowledgment after nearly a decade of speculation.
September 2022: The massive development leak
In September 2022, a hacker obtained and leaked approximately 90 videos of early GTA 6 development footage — the largest leak in gaming history. The footage showed prototype builds of what appeared to be Vice City, both Jason and Lucia in test environments, early mission prototypes, and various unfinished systems. Rockstar confirmed the leak was genuine and the footage was real development material, though far from representative of the finished game.
The hacker was subsequently identified and arrested. The leak, while damaging, inadvertently confirmed many things the community had suspected: the Florida setting, the dual protagonists, and the game's general direction.
December 2023: Official Trailer 1
On December 5, 2023, Rockstar released the first official GTA 6 trailer — earlier than originally planned, reportedly because the trailer had leaked in low quality just before the release date. The trailer broke YouTube viewing records and confirmed: the Leonida/Vice City setting, Jason and Lucia as dual protagonists, a modern Florida tone, and a 2025 release window.
2024: The release delay
Throughout 2024, parent company Take-Two Interactive repeatedly reaffirmed a fiscal year 2025 release window (meaning by March 2025). In late 2024, however, it became clear the game would miss this window. Take-Two subsequently confirmed the release had moved to a specific autumn 2026 window — citing the additional development time needed to meet Rockstar's quality bar.
May 2025: Official Trailer 2
On May 6, 2025, Rockstar released GTA 6 Trailer 2 — longer and more action-focused than the first. Most significantly, it confirmed an explicit release date on screen: November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
November 19, 2026: Launch
The confirmed release date. GTA 6 will launch on Thursday, November 19, 2026 — a deliberate pre-Thanksgiving positioning that puts it in the heart of the holiday shopping season. See our countdown page for how long remains until launch.
Quick answers
When did GTA 6 development start? Likely 2014–2015, with full team formation after Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018.
When was the GTA 6 leak? September 2022 — approximately 90 videos of early development footage.
When is GTA 6 coming out? November 19, 2026, for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
