# GTA 6 timeline: every key date from 2022 to the November 19, 2026 launch

Source: https://gta.kuber.studio/timeline/
Status: mixed
Updated: 2026-11-15

> The complete GTA 6 timeline, Feb 2022 to Nov 19, 2026: confirmation, the 2022 leak, every trailer, both delays, pricing and launch week. Every row graded.

**Quick answer:** GTA 6 went from Rockstar's **'well underway' confirmation on February 4, 2022** to a **November 19, 2026 launch**, by way of a 2022 hack, a record-breaking first trailer, **two delays** (Fall 2025 to May 26, 2026, then to Nov 19, 2026), a Netflix premiere and a 2026 leak campaign. Every dated event is below, graded, with a link to the full story. Start with [[timeline/gta-6-delays|the delays]].

| Key fact | |
| --- | --- |
| Development confirmed | February 4, 2022 |
| Trailer 1 | December 4, 2023 |
| Original window | 2025, then Fall 2025 |
| Delay 1 | To May 26, 2026 (announced May 2, 2025) |
| Delay 2 | To Nov 19, 2026 (announced Nov 6, 2025) |
| Launch | November 19, 2026 |

GTA 6 was confirmed on **February 4, 2022** and launches on **November 19, 2026** on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. In between: a 2022 hack that leaked early footage, a first trailer that broke YouTube records, **two delays**, a Netflix premiere, a summer of leaks and record pre-orders on both the PlayStation and Microsoft stores. The table below is the full record, one row per event, each graded and linked to the page that covers it in depth.

Grades follow [[about/how-we-grade|how we grade]]. Most rows are first-party Rockstar, Take-Two, Sony or Microsoft statements, or court records. Where a row rests on press reporting or an estimate, it says so.

## Before 2022: how GTA 6 started

- **2014-2015.** Preliminary work after GTA V; pre-production on "Project Americas" and Miami research trips begin in 2015 <span class="tag-reported">reported</span>.
- **Late 2018.** Early development starts after Red Dead Redemption 2 <span class="tag-reported">reported</span>.
- **2020.** Principal production begins. Take-Two later said development began "in earnest" in 2020 <span class="tag-reported">reported</span>.
- **March 11, 2020.** Co-founder and lead writer Dan Houser leaves Rockstar <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span>.

The long version is on [[timeline/gta-6-development-history|GTA 6 development history]].

## The complete GTA 6 timeline, 2022 to launch

### 2022

| Date | Event | Grade |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Feb 4, 2022 | Rockstar Newswire says development of the next GTA is "well underway". [[timeline/gta-6-development-history|Development history]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Jul 27, 2022 | Bloomberg reports a Latina female lead in a Bonnie and Clyde-style duo and a fictional Miami. All later confirmed. [[characters/gta-6-first-female-protagonist|First female protagonist]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span>, later confirmed |
| Sep 18, 2022 | A hacker posts 90+ clips (about 50 minutes) of early-development footage on GTAForums. [[timeline/gta-6-2022-leak|The 2022 leak]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Sep 19, 2022 | Rockstar confirms a "network intrusion" and says it expects no long-term effect on development. [[timeline/gta-6-2022-leak|The 2022 leak]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Sep 22, 2022 | City of London Police arrest a 17-year-old in Oxfordshire, later named as Arion Kurtaj. [[timeline/gta-6-2022-leak|The 2022 leak]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |

### 2023

| Date | Event | Grade |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2023 | Rockstar Los Angeles is set up, focused on NPCs. [[timeline/gta-6-development-history|Development history]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| Aug 2023 | A Southwark Crown Court jury finds Kurtaj carried out the acts behind the Lapsus$ offenses, including the Rockstar hack. [[timeline/gta-6-2022-leak|The 2022 leak]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Nov 8, 2023 | Sam Houser's "A Message from Rockstar Games" promises the first trailer in early December. [[media/gta-6-trailer-1|Trailer 1]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Dec 4, 2023 | Trailer 1 (1:31) goes live about 15 hours early after a leak. Reveals Vice City, Lucia, Jason and "2025". [[media/gta-6-trailer-1|Trailer 1]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Dec 5-6, 2023 | YouTube reports 93M+ views in 24 hours; Guinness certifies 90,421,491 views and 8.9M likes. [[media/gta-6-trailer-1|Trailer 1]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Dec 21, 2023 | Kurtaj receives an indefinite hospital order. Rockstar put the hack's cost at about $5M. [[timeline/gta-6-2022-leak|The 2022 leak]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |

### 2024

| Date | Event | Grade |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Feb 28, 2024 | Rockstar orders staff back to the office five days a week from April. [[timeline/gta-6-development-history|Development history]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| May 16, 2024 | Take-Two narrows the window from "Calendar 2025" to "Fall of Calendar 2025". [[timeline/gta-6-delays|Delays]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| 2024 | GTA VI wins Most Wanted Game at the Golden Joysticks and Most Anticipated Game at The Game Awards. | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |

### 2025

| Date | Event | Grade |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Jan 2025 | Photos of a PS5 dev kit running GTA VI, reportedly from Rockstar San Diego in 2021, appear on Reddit. [[timeline/gta-6-development-history|Development history]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| May 2, 2025 | **Delay 1:** Fall 2025 to Tuesday, May 26, 2026. [[timeline/gta-6-delays|Delays]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| May 6, 2025 | Trailer 2 (2:47) drops unannounced, with 70 screenshots and eight official character profiles. [[media/gta-6-trailer-2|Trailer 2]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| May 7-8, 2025 | Rockstar claims 475M views across platforms in 24 hours. [[media/gta-6-trailer-2|Trailer 2]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> (Rockstar claim) |
| Late Sep 2025 | Dan Houser says GTA VI is "not going to be a story I wrote". [[timeline/gta-6-development-history|Development history]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Oct 30, 2025 | Rockstar fires 31 UK staff, citing gross misconduct; the IWGB calls it union-busting. [[timeline/rockstar-uk-firings-and-union|Firings and union]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> (firings) |
| Nov 6, 2025 | **Delay 2:** May 26, 2026 to Thursday, November 19, 2026. [[timeline/gta-6-delays|Delays]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Nov 6, 2025 | Take-Two FY26 Q2 earnings: Zelnick "excited and confident"; firings "unrelated" to the delay. [[timeline/gta-6-delays|Delays]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Mid-Nov 2025 | 200+ Rockstar North staff sign a letter demanding reinstatement; UK PM Keir Starmer calls it "deeply concerning". [[timeline/rockstar-uk-firings-and-union|Firings and union]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| 2025 | Trailer 2 wins Best Game Trailer at the Golden Joysticks; GTA VI repeats Most Wanted and Most Anticipated. [[media/gta-6-trailer-2|Trailer 2]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |

### 2026: January to August

| Date | Event | Grade |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Jan 12, 2026 | A UK employment judge denies the fired staff interim pay relief. [[timeline/rockstar-uk-firings-and-union|Firings and union]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| Feb 3, 2026 | Take-Two FY26 Q3: on track for Nov 19; physical delay rumors "not the plan". [[release/gta-6-release-date|Release date]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| May 21, 2026 | Take-Two FY26 Q4: record $6.72B net bookings, FY27 guidance of $8.0-8.2B "driven by" GTA VI. [[release/gta-6-sales-and-pre-orders|Sales]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Jun 18, 2026 | Cover art revealed in a 33-second video; pre-orders set for June 25. [[release/gta-6-price-and-editions|Editions]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Jun 24, 2026 | Price confirmed: $79.99 Standard, $99.99 Ultimate. The $100 base-price rumor is dead. [[leaks/gta-6-100-dollar-price-rumour|$100 rumor]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Jun 25, 2026 | Pre-orders open. Boxed copies contain a download code, not a disc. [[release/gta-6-physical-copy-no-disc|No disc]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Jun 29-Jul 20, 2026 | Forbes and others predict a summer "Trailer 3". None comes that summer. [[media/gta-6-launch-trailer|Launch Trailer]] | <span class="tag-rumour">rumour</span> |
| Jul 16, 2026 | BBC reports Kurtaj moved to prison to await a retrial. [[timeline/gta-6-2022-leak|The 2022 leak]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| Aug 6, 2026 | Rockstar announces "An Extended Look" for August 27. [[media/gta-6-extended-look|Extended Look]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Aug 7, 2026 | Take-Two FY27 Q1: pre-orders "unprecedented and astonishing"; Netflix deal "first-of-its-kind". [[release/gta-6-sales-and-pre-orders|Sales]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Aug 18-26, 2026 | CyberLeek posts at least 16 gameplay clips and a full map image. [[leaks/gta-6-cyberleek-2026-leaks|CyberLeek]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> (leak happened) |
| Aug 26, 2026 | Rockstar calls the leaks "heartbreaking for our team". [[leaks/gta-6-cyberleek-2026-leaks|CyberLeek]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Aug 27, 2026 | *An Extended Look* (26:48) premieres on Netflix at 3pm ET, YouTube at 9pm ET. [[media/gta-6-extended-look|Extended Look]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Late Aug 2026 | Netflix: 31.1M views in four days, No. 1 in 87 of 93 markets. [[media/gta-6-extended-look|Extended Look]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Aug 29, 2026 | Rob Nelson: no monetization at launch. Zelnick: generative AI has "zero part". [[gameplay/gta-6-gameplay-features-confirmed|Confirmed features]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |

### 2026: September to November

| Date | Event | Grade |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sep 3, 2026 | Two limited-edition GTA VI DualSense controllers announced. | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Sep 10, 2026 | The IWGB tribunal hearing opens in Glasgow. [[timeline/rockstar-uk-firings-and-union|Firings and union]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| Sep 17, 2026 | *GTA VI: The Album* announced: 34 original tracks, six singles out the same day. [[music/gta-6-soundtrack-album|The Album]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Sep 24, 2026 | "The Goodtime State - Vice City Collection" Collector's Box goes on sale at $399.99. [[release/gta-6-collectors-box|Collector's Box]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Late Sep 2026 | A Game Informer cover story is reported; we have not seen the outlet's page. | <span class="tag-rumour">rumour</span> |
| Oct 1-2, 2026 | ESRB rates the game M (Mature 17+). PEGI 18 is reported. [[release/gta-6-age-rating|Age rating]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> (ESRB) |
| Oct 7, 2026 | Xbox: no Xbox Cloud Gaming streaming to PC. [[release/gta-6-xbox-series-s-and-cloud-gaming|Cloud gaming]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| Oct 8, 2026 | Rockstar reveals six radio stations, from Cocoteo FM to Flash FM. [[music/gta-6-radio-stations|Radio stations]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Oct 8, 2026 | CyberLeek posts a 24-minute "Extended Leek"; Take-Two files DMCA subpoenas. [[leaks/gta-6-cyberleek-2026-leaks|CyberLeek]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| Oct 9, 2026 | Kurtaj retrial listed for Nov 9 at Woolwich Crown Court. [[timeline/gta-6-2022-leak|The 2022 leak]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| Oct 13, 2026 | GamesBeat reports a PC version targeted for Q1 2027. Unannounced. [[release/gta-6-pc-release-date|PC release]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| Oct 14, 2026 | Rockstar's Jennifer Kolbe denies the budget exceeded $1.5B, without giving a figure. [[leaks/gta-6-budget-rumours|Budget rumors]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| Oct 15, 2026 | Launch Trailer (1:29) with Justice's "Flower in a Hurricane"; Justice revealed as composer. [[media/gta-6-launch-trailer|Launch Trailer]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Oct 27, 2026 | A UK union recognition ballot is set for Nov 12-26. [[timeline/rockstar-uk-firings-and-union|Firings and union]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| Oct 28-29, 2026 | Edge cover: the map is "nearly as large as" GTA IV, GTA V and RDR2 combined; 23 radio stations reported. [[world/gta-6-map-size|Map size]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> (map quote) |
| Oct 29, 2026 | Justice's *Original Score* announced for Dec 11; single "Pusher" released. [[music/gta-6-justice-score|Justice score]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| Nov 3, 2026 | Rockstar: pre-load opens Nov 10 and needs up to 212 GB. [[release/gta-6-preload-and-file-size|Pre-load]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Nov 5, 2026 | Launch Gallery of 39 new screenshots. [[news/2026-11-05-gta-6-launch-gallery|Launch Gallery]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Nov 6, 2026 | Miami's E11EVEN club rebranded "NINE1NINE Vice City" through Dec 6. [[world/vice-city|Vice City]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| Nov 9, 2026 | Take-Two FY27 Q2: launch "ten days away", pre-orders at "unprecedented levels". [[news/2026-11-09-take-two-q2-earnings-gta-6|Q2 earnings]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Nov 9, 2026 | *GTA VI: The Festival* announced for Nov 21 in Miami. [[music/gta-6-soundtrack-album|The Album]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Nov 9, 2026 | Kurtaj retrial scheduled to open. No outcome reported as of Nov 15. [[timeline/gta-6-2022-leak|The 2022 leak]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| Nov 10, 2026 | Pre-load opens. Rockstar confirms a 30fps target; PS5 Pro gets PSSR and ray-traced shadows. [[news/2026-11-10-gta-6-preload-live|Pre-load live]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Nov 11, 2026 | Sony and Microsoft each call it the most pre-ordered game in their store's history. [[release/gta-6-sales-and-pre-orders|Sales]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Nov 12, 2026 | Boxed code-in-box copies go on sale early; the union recognition vote opens. [[timeline/rockstar-uk-firings-and-union|Firings and union]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Nov 12-14, 2026 | The Collector's Box map leaks from a box sold early in Manchester. [[news/2026-11-14-collectors-box-map-leak|Map leak]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| Nov 13, 2026 | Update 1.002.000 rolls out. [[news/2026-11-13-gta-6-update-1-002|Update 1.002]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| Nov 13, 2026 | A *Macca & Friends* in-game show teaser appears. [[characters/macca-the-gator|Macca the Gator]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| Nov 14, 2026 | Sensor Tower estimates 12M+ pre-orders; Zelnick says expectations are "being vastly exceeded". [[release/gta-6-sales-and-pre-orders|Sales]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> (estimate) |
| Nov 18, 2026 | Reported review embargo. The US store unlocks at 9pm PT (midnight ET). [[release/gta-6-release-time-by-country|Unlock times]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| **Nov 19, 2026** | **Worldwide launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X\|S.** The Album releases the same day. [[release/gta-6-release-date|Release date]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> (scheduled) |

## After launch: what is already scheduled

| Date | Event | Grade |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Nov 17-18, 2026 | Closing submissions expected at the IWGB tribunal. [[timeline/rockstar-uk-firings-and-union|Firings and union]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| Nov 21, 2026 | *GTA VI: The Festival* at Mana Wynwood, Miami. [[music/gta-6-soundtrack-album|The Album]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |
| Nov 26, 2026 | The union recognition ballot closes. [[timeline/rockstar-uk-firings-and-union|Firings and union]] | <span class="tag-reported">reported</span> |
| Dec 11, 2026 | Justice's *Original Score* album releases. [[music/gta-6-justice-score|Justice score]] | <span class="tag-confirmed">confirmed</span> |

## Where the dates disagree

- **The first delay.** Every source we checked dates it to May 2, 2025, except Gfinity, which said July 2025. May is right.
- **The firings.** Most outlets date them to October 30, 2025; some say November 2. Wikipedia counts 34 staff, against 31 in most reporting.
- **The Album tracklist.** The 34 songs are confirmed as a count; the full list comes from leaked vinyl packaging.

## Start here

- [[timeline/gta-6-delays|Every GTA 6 delay]], with Rockstar's own wording.
- [[timeline/gta-6-development-history|Development history]], from Project Americas to finished game.
- [[timeline/gta-6-2022-leak|The 2022 leak]] and the Arion Kurtaj case.
- [[timeline/rockstar-uk-firings-and-union|The UK firings and union vote]].
- For the videos themselves, see the [[media/index|media hub]].

## FAQ

**When was GTA 6 first confirmed?**

On February 4, 2022, when a Rockstar Newswire post said active development on the next Grand Theft Auto was 'well underway'. The title GTA VI was revealed with Trailer 1 on December 4, 2023.

**How many times has GTA 6 been delayed?**

Twice. In May 2025 it moved from Fall 2025 to May 26, 2026. In November 2025 it moved to November 19, 2026. Take-Two narrowed '2025' to 'Fall 2025' in May 2024, which was a narrowing, not a delay.

**How long has GTA 6 been in development?**

Preliminary work began around 2014-2015, early development after Red Dead Redemption 2 in late 2018, and principal production in 2020, per Wikipedia citing press reports. Take-Two has said development began 'in earnest' in 2020.

**When does GTA 6 come out?**

November 19, 2026, on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. No PC version has been announced.

**When was the GTA 6 leak?**

September 18, 2022, when a hacker posted 90+ clips of early-development footage. Rockstar confirmed the intrusion the next day. Separate leaks by an account called CyberLeek ran from August to October 2026.


## Sources

- [Take-Two Q2 FY2027 earnings release (8-K)](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000946581/000162828026072175/ttwo2q27earningsrelease.htm) (Take-Two Interactive via SEC EDGAR, Nov 9, 2026)
- [Grand Theft Auto VI Launch Trailer (video list with dates and runtimes)](https://www.rockstargames.com/VI/launch-trailer) (Rockstar Games, Fetched Nov 15, 2026)
- [GTA 6 is in active development and 'well underway', Rockstar confirms](https://techradar.com/news/gta-6-is-in-active-development-and-well-underway-according-to-rockstar) (TechRadar, Feb 4, 2022)
- [Rockstar confirms cyberattack, leak of confidential data including GTA 6 footage](https://therecord.media/rockstar-confirms-cyberattack-leak-of-confidential-data-including-gta-6-footage) (The Record, Sep 2022)
- [GTA 6 Trailer Now Available! Leak Forced Rockstar Games to Release It Early](https://www.gamepressure.com/newsroom/gta-6-trailer-now-available-leak-forced-rockstar-games-to-release/z36508) (Gamepressure, Dec 4, 2023)
- [GTA 6 delayed once again, Rockstar Games announces new launch date in 2026](https://www.businesstoday.in/amp/technology/news/story/gta-6-delayed-once-again-rockstar-games-announces-new-launch-date-in-2026-474537-2025-05-02) (Business Today, May 2, 2025)
- [GTA 6 now officially delayed to November 2026](https://www.notebookcheck.net/GTA-6-now-officially-delayed-to-November-2026.1157152.0.html) (Notebookcheck, Nov 6, 2025)
- [Rockstar workers vote on union recognition as GTA VI launch looms](https://www.theregister.com/software/2026/11/12/rockstar-workers-vote-on-union-recognition-as-gta-vi-launch-looms/5309319) (The Register, Nov 12, 2026)
- [Rockstar Games issues GTA 6 leaks statement and game update after Cyberleek shares footage](https://www.ladbible.com/entertainment/gaming/rockstar-gta-leaks-grand-theft-auto-155567-20260826) (LADbible, Aug 26, 2026)
- [How to watch Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look](https://www.engadget.com/2244813/how-to-watch-gta-6-extended-look-netflix-youtube/) (Engadget, Aug 26, 2026)
- [GTA 6 release: How the game could hit food delivery, tourism and PTO](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/11/14/gta-6-grand-theft-auto-launch.html) (CNBC, Nov 14, 2026)
- [Grand Theft Auto VI](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_VI) (Wikipedia, Accessed Nov 15, 2026)