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GTA VI: All the info we know on the game's release, characters and more
The long wait is over and Rockstar Games has officially announced GTA VI. Read on to find out when it will be released and what you need to know about the most anticipated release in gaming.
The Grand Theft Auto series has enjoyed enormous popularity ever since the leap into the third dimension so it's hardly surprising that GTA V, released in 2013, is the second best-selling video game of all time with over 190 million units sold. Only the sandbox title Minecraft has sold more.
No wonder its successor, Grand Theft Auto VI, is probably the most eagerly awaited video game of all time. Rockstar Games officially unveiled GTA 6 in December 2023 and since then have summarised all the information about the open-world highlight.
01
When will GTA VI be released?
Lucia Caminos will be the first female main character in GTA history
© Rockstar Games
On May 2, Rockstar Games confirmed that GTA VI will no longer be released in 2025. Instead, the new release date is set for May 26, 2026. The game will initially be released for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. Presumably, a release for PC will take place at a later date.
You'll have to be patient for a little longer until you can get your hands on GTA 6, but some lucky people have already enjoyed a hands-on experience, including Red Bull athlete Lukasz Czepiela. Check out the incredible graphics!
02
GTA VI platforms: Play the game on these systems
GTA VI will be released on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S initially. There's currently no mention of a PC version, but as has so often been the case in Rockstar's history, this is likely to be added at a later date.
Do the bridges lead to other cities within the game's world?
© Rockstar Games
03
These characters are playable in GTA VI
Lucia Caminos will be the first female main character in the history of the GTA series. She's joined by Jason Duval as the second playable character.
Lucia looks set to be a key part of the GTA VI story
© Rockstar Games
Jason grew up in difficult circumstances and came into contact with criminals as a teenager. Then, after his time as a soldier in the army, he returned to the wrong side of the law and earned his money as a henchman for drug dealers in the Florida Keys.
Lucia Caminos comes from Liberty City and is a real fighter. She served time in Leonida State Prison, but is now free again and gets together with Jason Duval.
With a gangster couple in the lead role, the game is obviously inspired by classic movies like Bonnie and Clyde. However, further details about Lucia and Jason are still scarce. According to previous leaks, they could be lovers, which is also briefly hinted at in the trailer.
At the beginning of the video, we see Lucia in an orange prison outfit, so breaking out of prison could also be one of the first missions to achieve.
04
More confirmed GTA VI characters
Criminal genius? Brian Heder in GTA VI
© Rockstar Games
The second trailer for GTA VI has confirmed many more characters that will play a role in the course of the game:
- Cal Hampton – Cal is a friend of Jason's and also works for Brian. He feels safest when he's hanging out at home listening to the Coast Guard radio with a few beers by his side and a few tabs open in a private browser session. Cal sits at the lowest end of American society and is happy with that. A paranoid man rarely comes alone, but his friend Jason has bigger plans.
- Boobie Ike – Boobie is a local legend in Vice City – and that's how he behaves. He's one of the few who's managed to turn hard times on the streets into a serious empire consisting of real estate, a strip club and recording studio. Boobie has a smile for everyone, until it comes to business.
- Dre'Quan Priest – Dre'Quan has always been more of a doer than a gangster. Even when he was dealing on the streets to make ends meet, his goal was to break through as a musician.
- Bae-Luxe and Roxy (aka Real Dimez) – Have been friends since high school. Two girls who know how to make cold hard cash by ripping off small-time dealers, putting out raunchy rap songs and a relentless social media presence.
- Raul Bautista – Confidence, charm and cunning; Raul is a seasoned bank robber and always on the lookout for talent willing to take the necessary risks to maximise the payoff.
- Brian Heder – Brian is a typical drug pusher from the golden days of smuggling in the Keys. Although he still moves dope through his boatyard with his third wife, Lori, Brian has been in the business long enough to let others do the dirty work for him.
05
GTA VI's setting: back to Vice City
GTA VI takes you to the fictional U.S. state of Leonida, home to the Miami-based metropolis of Vice City, which premiered in the 2002 prequel to GTA III. In contrast to the original, which was set in the 1980s, GTA VI is set in a modern version of Vice City.
GTA VI once again takes us to the neon-drenched streets of Vice City
© Rockstar Games
Compared to GTA: Vice City from 2002, a lot has changed graphically
© Rockstar Games
However, it's conceivable that hotels, bars, beaches and other locations in Vice City are only part of the game world in GTA VI and that you will visit other locations in the state during the course of the game. The Leonida Wetlands swamp area also appears to be represented in the game. The following areas will be in the game:
- Vice City – The glamour, bustle and greed of the United States are combined here in one city. Every neighbourhood has something to offer, from the pastel-coloured art deco hotels and gleaming white sands of Ocean Beach, to the bustling panaderías of Little Cuba and counterfeit goods of the Tisha Wocka flea market, and the port of Vice City, the hub of global cruise shipping.
- Leonida Keys – Life on this tropical peninsula may not be glitzy, but it's laid-back. Treat yourself to a few beers and get comfy in your deckchair, but watch out - you're close to some of the most dangerous waters in America.
- Grassrivers – You never know what lurks beneath the surface of these untouched expanses. The alligators may be the most famous tourist attraction, but far deadlier predators and more disturbing discoveries lurk in the mangrove forests.
- Port Gellhorn – Cheap motels, closed attractions and empty shopping centres may not bring tourists back, but a different economy is now booming in this once-popular resort town - fuelled by booze, painkillers and energy drinks from the petrol station. Hop on a dirt bike and hold on to your wallet.
- Ambrosia – In the heart of Leonida, American industry and traditional values come first - no matter the cost. The Allied Crystal sugar factory provides jobs and the local biker gang provides almost everything else.
- Mount Kalaga – Mount Kalaga is a national landmark near the northern border of the state and perfect for hunting, fishing or hiking. The lush backcountry forests are home to hillbilly mystics and paranoid radicals far from the critical gaze of the government.
Ambrosia is home to a biker gang
© Rockstar Games
Anything is possible in Port Gellhorn
© Rockstar Games
06
GTA VI trailer: what the first video reveals
The first GTA VI trailer shows scenes of the upcoming open-world game in action, but the 90-second video doesn't reveal too much. Like in the past, Rockstar Games will release further snippets of information before the game's release to reveal more about the game. However, the video does provide some information:
- Social networks reminiscent of TikTok and YouTube seem to play a role in GTA VI.
- There are apparently alligators that even make the city unsafe.
- Aeroplanes, helicopters, boats and even swamp boats can be seen in the trailer and are likely to be playable.
- The vehicle fleet should once again be quite large. Dirt bikes and quads can also be seen.
- The graphics engine appears to be new, with lighting effects, animations and environments looking more detailed than in GTA V.
- Shop raids are apparently back in the game.
- Tuning events, drift races and street races could be playable.
- The GTA 6 trailer picks up on many well-known internet memes like 'Florida Man' and 'Karens'.
- Two groups in the game already have a name, as the trailer reveals: Thrillbilly Mud Club and High Rollerz Lifestyle.
Use the swamp boat to explore the areas outside the metropolis
© Rockstar Games
According to Rockstar founder Sam Houser, GTA VI will push the boundaries of what's possible in "highly immersive, story-driven open-world experiences" at release. So it seems as if they want to revolutionise the genre of open-world games once again after Red Dead Redemption 2.
07
The GTA VI soundtrack
The official artwork sets the mood for GTA VI
© Rockstar Games
GTA games always live from their soundtrack and this is likely to be the case again with GTA VI. However, there are currently no details on which songs will be featured in the game.
The first trailer is accompanied by the song Love Is A Long Road by Tom Petty, which was released in 1989 and therefore fits in perfectly with the original Vice City.
It's conceivable that the song could be part of a classic rock radio station in the game. Is the iconic V-Rock radio station returning? Back in the day, GTA: Vice City was pretty heavy metal with artists such as Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, Iron Maiden and Slayer featured.
The music from Rockstar Games' Red Dead Redemption 2 also featured an iconic soundtrack which you can listen to below.
56 min
The Music of Red Dead Redemption 2
Check out this reimagining of Red Dead Redemption 2's score as a live audio-visual performance.
08
GTA VI multiplayer: will GTA Online be back?
So far, there's no information on whether GTA VI will once again rely on the online multiplayer mode GTA Online. However, as GTA Online in particular has kept the fifth installment of the series alive for years, we assume that online play is likely to return with GTA VI. It's possible, then, that the tattooed man with the purple hair seen in the trailer is a player character from GTA VI Online.
See GTA VI in real life as mountain bike trials legend Fabio Wibmer shows off some impressive tricks in his vision of GTA VI last year.
