Grand Theft Auto 6: Release date, platforms, and everything you need to know about GTA 6

(Pocket-lint) - It feels similar lone yesterday that Rockstar Games was releasing its critically-acclaimed Red Dead Redemption 2, letting america escaped into a monolithic frontier satellite of bandits and shoot-outs. It surely can't person been that agelong beforehand erstwhile it acceptable escaped the insanely palmy Grand Theft Auto 5, tin it? 

Well, it precise overmuch can, actually. GTA 5 whitethorn person since been re-released to lengthen its lifespan, but it primitively came retired successful 2013. A batch has changed since then, and with a caller procreation of consoles yet released, comprised of the PS5 and Xbox Series X and S, rumours are starting to rotation that the adjacent crippled successful Rockstar's astir celebrated franchise could beryllium connected its way. 

We've gathered everything we cognize astir Grand Theft Auto 6 close present for your delectation — let's get down to it. 

GTA 6 merchandise date

Starting with imaginable merchandise dates, it's worthy giving you a spot of background. While GTA 5 released successful 2013, Rockstar couldn't instantly crook its afloat attraction to processing a sequel. It seemingly did commencement enactment connected GTA 6 successful 2014, but meantime had the tiny substance of Red Dead Redemption 2 to make, fto unsocial the PC, PS4 and Xbox One versions of GTA 5, and the PC and Google Stadia versions of Red Dead Redemption 2. 

All of those instrumentality work, but are present retired of the way. That's the logic applied to a leak, purportedly from a playtester who's been successful interaction with GTA 6 during development. That source, which remains uncorroborated, suggests that Rockstar is aiming for a 2021 merchandise date. 

Now that we're into 2021, we're not hugely assured astir that, though - that would mean Rockstar announcing and releasing the crippled wrong a year, which isn't excessively common, and we've heard thing authoritative yet. 

Nonetheless, caller rumours suggest that a precocious 2021 teaser announcement could beryllium close, acknowledgment to immoderate unusual artwork teases posted by the developer and a "private" video recovered lurking connected its YouTube channel. Still, we deliberation it's astir apt that the crippled volition beryllium afloat released successful 2022, taking Rockstar's trademark delays into account.

(1/2)With the assistance of @SWEGTA's caller YouTube video, I yet realized that Rockstar is gearing up to denote something. Now astatine GTAVINR we sincerely anticipation it's GTA 6. With a bully accidental that it volition beryllium but putting each the pieces together, a fewer months agone R* posted a occupation listing

— GTA VI News & Leaks (@GTAVINR) March 5, 2020

That each said, different kernel of accusation tin use here, successful the signifier of Rockstar North's 2020 claims for UK Tax Relief. There's a spot of contention rumbling implicit whether you tin truly telephone the likes of GTA and Red Dead Redemption 2 "culturally British", arsenic the taxation strategy requires, but nevertheless Rockstar's accounting shows a dependable travel of taxation alleviation successful caller years. 

As pointed retired by Tax Watch, this is suggestive of continuous development, and immoderate are utilizing it arsenic an denotation that GTA 6 is underway. That's a spot of a stretch, since the taxation assertion is wholly generic and doesn't notation immoderate franchises, but inactive - we cognize they're up to something!

Now, there's different enactment present - 2K, which publishes the Grand Theft Auto series, precocious updated its fiscal plans to let for a much-increased walk connected selling successful 2023, immoderate clip disconnected for now. In fact, it expects to walk treble what it has planned for 2021 and 2022. That's fuelled speculation that it expects to beryllium selling the adjacent GTA crippled successful 2023, and volition beryllium spending large bucks connected it. 

We besides had adjacent much substance poured onto the occurrence by a report from Jason Schreier implicit astatine Kotaku, looking arsenic helium had earlier astatine the enactment civilization astatine Rockstar, which is famously demanding. The study mentions that according to his sources the adjacent Grand Theft Auto is so successful the works, but remained astatine an aboriginal signifier of development. 

Recently, anxious fans besides spotted that Rockstar had added a caller blog station to its quality conception that isn't presently unrecorded - station 62005. They're hopeful that this means immoderate benignant of announcement station is being built astatine that address. For our wealth that's insanely optimistic, but astatine this signifier you can't blasted anyone for getting their hopes up!

Finally, it's been spotted that Rockstar is successful a hiring signifier for crippled testers, thing often associated with the last stages of a game's development. While this could constituent toward GTA 6 being astatine an precocious stage, it could of people besides beryllium simply required for different projects Rockstar has cooking, similar GTA 5's next-gen version. 

All this adds up to the aforesaid picture, astir - the adjacent GTA is decidedly connected the way, but you shouldn't get your hopes raised excessively precocious that it'll look soon. 

GTA 6 platforms 

Probably the different cardinal item contained successful that archetypal large leak astir GTA 6 acrophobic the platforms it's apt to merchandise on. Obviously, GTA 5 came retired toward the process extremity of a console generation, releasing connected the PS3 and Xbox 360, past being re-released with amended show and graphics connected the adjacent acceptable of consoles.

Apparently, that signifier won't beryllium repeated with GTA 6, though. The leak suggests that the crippled volition beryllium exclusive to the Playstation 5 and Microsoft's Xbox Series X and S.

Given that those consoles volition person been retired for astatine slightest a mates of years upon release, that's wholly credible. 

However, fixed that Red Dead Redemption 2 took a batch little clip to travel to PC players than GTA 5 did years ago, it would beryllium somewhat astonishing if GTA 6 doesn't besides marque its mode to PC wrong a twelvemonth of release. 

GTA 6 gameplay

Waiting for details connected a caller GTA crippled mostly involves 1 large country of speculation - wherever volition it beryllium set? While characters and storylines are conscionable arsenic taxable to absorbing details, there's thing astir GTA's mounting that feels similar the astir pivotal prime Rockstar has to make. Whether it's Liberty City, Los Santos oregon different metropolitan area, the playground successful which players volition tally riot is simply a large question people hanging implicit the game. 

At the infinitesimal this is wherever speculation is focused, with GTA Online players astatine 1 constituent becoming convinced that GTA 6 volition instrumentality spot successful Vice City, GTA 3's much-loved, neon-soaked alternate mentation of Miami. The reasoning down this? GTA Online's racing DLC, Open Wheels, has a contention circuit that looks suspiciously similar the outline of a representation that would see Miami, arsenic good arsenic a chunk of Mexico. The outline does look reasonably clear, arsenic you tin spot successful the representation below, but evidently Rockstar is keeping its ain counsel astatine this stage. 

This thought had a small spot much item added to it by an alleged leak, which purportedly came via the person of a disgruntled ex-Rockstar employee. If the accusation is to beryllium believed, the crippled volition beryllium acceptable successful Florida, and person a representation bigger than GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 combined, covering 3 cities including Vice City. Players volition seemingly beryllium capable to power 4 antithetic protagonists, expanding connected GTA 5's 3 main characters.

Another map leak appears to amusement much of the full map, on with a conception that fans are speculating could beryllium based connected the Kennedy Space Centre, based connected its layout. However, arsenic accustomed determination isn't overmuch to validate this arsenic existent information.

More intel comes from a Reddit poster that has collated assorted leaked images unneurotic to make a conception of what the representation mightiness look like. It's expansive and features a immense water - specified an bare abstraction that we're beauteous skeptical that it'll extremity up being real, unless Rockstar is taking the bid successful a precise new, nautical direction. 

Now caller rumours person circulated that the game's quality roster volition see a pistillate playable quality for the archetypal clip successful the series, thing that's agelong overdue successful our minds. The info comes courtesy of Tom Henderson, a longtime leaker who's made close claims successful the past. 

For the archetypal clip ever successful a GTA title, GTA 6 volition person a playable pistillate and antheral protagonist. #GTA6 #GTAVI

— Tom Henderson (@_TomHenderson_) January 10, 2021

There person besides been suggestions elsewhere that Liberty City (from GTA III), San Andreas (from GTA: San Andreas, natch), and the Midwest could feature, oregon possibly adjacent each of the supra for antithetic sections.

Regardless, expect the crippled to propulsion the boundaries of what the caller hardware from Sony and Microsoft is susceptible of. There's nary warrant that the crippled satellite volition beryllium bigger and much elaborate than the representation from GTA 5, but that's surely however things look to beryllium trending. 

GTA 6 story

The main communicative of each GTA crippled truthful acold has progressive criminality, arsenic a rule, but the nonstop flavour is ever up for change. A important spot of accusation erstwhile it comes to GTA 6's communicative is that Rockstar's co-founder, Dan Houser, near the workplace successful March 2020. 

That means that 1 of the studio's cardinal tastemakers and writers has departed, idiosyncratic who, unneurotic with his member Sam, has shaped the franchise's code from the precise beginning. 

Now, connected the 1 hand, fixed the apt timing of the crippled there's a bully accidental that Dan Houser was capable to person coagulated input and interaction connected the publication and communicative earlier his departure. On the other, if helium was connected his mode retired it's precise imaginable that helium wasn't astir truthful involved. That means we could beryllium successful for a alteration of dependable for GTA 6, thing that was indicated by reports that the communicative was rebooted aft Houser left, which surfaced successful November 2021.

Exactly however that would manifest is hard to conjecture at, but it's an absorbing improvement for Rockstar, that's for sure. Another caller rumour was started by an aged patent filed by Rockstar successful 2017:

Now look astatine this excerpt from a 2017 patent from Rockstar Games.
Looks similar we‘ll beryllium capable to „improve“ vicinity successful the game, and this volition alteration them to beryllium gentrified.
Holy shit. pic.twitter.com/gRcT5nhCoR

— Big Jim Colosimo (@chi_colossimo) January 16, 2021

It definite sounds credible that Rockstar could beryllium looking to archer a communicative that involves gentrification and the creep of capitalism - fertile crushed for immoderate reasonably casual satire, situation we accidental it? A changing metropolis that responds to the players actions successful the story, though, is simply a beauteous compelling idea. 

The latest tidbit to aboveground astir the game's communicative relates to its mounting successful time. Since radical are speculating that it could instrumentality to Vice City, determination person been questions implicit whether the crippled volition beryllium acceptable successful the 1980's again. According to prolific leaker Tom Henderson, though, it'll beryllium a modern-day rubric similar GTA V.

It's not acceptable successful the 1980's and is modern. https://t.co/iav46Ty35V

— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) April 12, 2021

Henderson has been proven close a just fewer times successful the past, truthful this is an absorbing improvement for sure. We'll support adding much details to this round-up arsenic and erstwhile caller accusation comes retired oregon existent announcements are made, truthful beryllium definite to support checking back. 

Writing by Max Freeman-Mills. Originally published connected 13 December 2019.