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GTA 6: All you need to know about the release date, characters and more
The long wait is coming to end – Rockstar Games have opened pre-orders for GTA 6. Read on to find out when the game is coming out, along with everything else you need to know.
No wonder its successor, Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6 for short), is probably the most eagerly awaited video game of all time. Now, the wait is almost over, and the release date has been revealed. Here's everything you need to know about the open-world behemoth.
GTA 6 info at a glance
01
Grand Theft Auto VI pre-orders have started
GTA 6 is due to be released on November 19, 2026
© Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games have launched pre-orders for GTA 6. This confirms that Grand Theft Auto 6 will be released on November 19, 2026 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
The download will start on November 12 for both the digital and physical versions. For those who want to buy the game in stores, the box will only contain a download code, with no physical disc.
GTA 6 will be released in two versions:
- Standard Edition: €79.99 / £69.99 / $79.99 USD
- Ultimate Edition: €99.99 / £89.99 / $100 USD
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GTA 6: All editions at a glance
The Ultimate Edition costs a premium, but offers lots of exclusive content
© Rockstar Games
Grand Theft Auto VI will be released on November 19, 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. It will be available in two editions to cater to different budgets.
The Standard Edition offers the complete single-player experience with Jason and Lucia. For those who want even more, the Ultimate Edition includes an exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons and clothing, and expands the story of both characters with additional action. An upgrade from the Standard to the Ultimate Edition is also possible, but the price for this is yet to be announced.
The Ultimate Edition even features exclusive stores
© Rockstar Games
What's included in the GTA 6 Ultimate Edition?
- Vapid Dominator Buggy (1967) and Paradise Garage in Watson Bay (including gun cabinet and storage space)
- Grotti Cheetah (1995) – retro-futuristic sports car
- Dinka Enduro (Dirt Bike) and Crest Kayak at Jason's Safehouse
- Vapid Ganado with exclusive lowrider modifications
- Shitzu Squalo (boat) – docked in Washington Beach, ocean-going, with weapons crate
- Rideout Customs in Vice City (exclusive, Donk styling and interior design)
- One-Eyed Willie's vehicle in Lake Leonida (exclusive, off-road tuning and hand-painted car artwork)
- Classic car collection: track down, restore and keep abandoned vehicles – four of them only in the Ultimate Edition
- Revolver Hawk and Little Morgan – customised revolvers for Jason and Lucia with palm tree engravings and telescopic sights
- Girardi ES9 (Jason) and Klose K17 (Lucia) with detailed engravings
- Missions: PTT Youngin$ Heist - Rob warehouses in Southside Vice City and secure contraband
- Exclusive outfits and tattoos for Jason and Lucia
- Goodtime clothing collection (inspired by Macca the Alligator)
- Stock 305 Clothing Store in Stockyard (exclusive)
- Sara's Unisex Salon – Signature styles, beard styles, make-up and nail design
- Electric Fang Tattoo – over 50 signature tattoos designed by the artist collective FAILE
Anyone who pre-orders or buys GTA 6 – whether Standard or Ultimate Edition – before November 20 will also receive the Vintage Vice City Pack with neon-era items. You can start downloading it from November 12.
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GTA 6: Cover artwork revealed, pre-orders confirmed
The cover artwork for GTA 6
© Rockstar Games
Out of the blue, Rockstar Games released new information about Grand Theft Auto VI on June 18, 2026, and the developer has revealed the official cover artwork for the game.
There’s also a pre-order date for GTA 6: what is likely to be the most important game of the year can be pre-ordered directly from Rockstar Games from June 25, 2026. The website lists PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S as the platforms.
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When will GTA 6 be released?
Lucia Caminos will be the first female main character in GTA history
© Rockstar Games
The release date is set for November 19, 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!
The history of GTA in a nutshell
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GTA 6 platforms: Play the game on these systems
GTA 6will 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
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These characters are playable in GTA 6
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 will be a key part of the GTA 6 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.
Record-breaking GTA 5
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More confirmed GTA 6 characters
Criminal genius? Brian Heder in GTA 6
© Rockstar Games
The second trailer for GTA 6 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.
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GTA 6's setting: back to Vice City
GTA 6 takes you to the fictional US 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 6 is set in a modern version of Vice City.
GTA 6 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 6 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
Check out more gaming content
09
GTA 6 trailer: what the first video reveals
The first GTA 6 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 6.
- 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 6 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.
GTA 6 trailer breaks records
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The GTA 6 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 6. 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.
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GTA 6 multiplayer: will GTA Online be back?
So far, there's no information on whether GTA 6 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 6. It's possible, then, that the tattooed man with the purple hair seen in the trailer is a player character from GTA 6 Online.
See GTA 6 in real life as mountain bike trials legend Fabio Wibmer shows off some impressive tricks in his vision of GTA 6.
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