Although rumors have swirled about a potential delay, Rockstar has been vocal about its plans to release Grand Theft Auto 6 at some point this year. Reaffirming this release window as recently as January 2025 suggests that the game will indeed arrive sometime inside this annum, which means that it's long past time Rockstar gave audiences a better look at the highly anticipated project.
Of course, one could make the argument that Grand Theft Auto 6 would sell like hotcakes even without any promotion—it's just that prestigious. But a closer, more in-depth look at the upcoming game, aside from being a show of good faith for consumers, would be a boon for GTA 6's publicity, ramping up hype to a fever pitch. Rockstar is no doubt planning some sort of gameplay or narrative showcase, but with the first and only GTA 6 trailer being well over a year old at this point, the developer has some catching up to do. Thus, instead of another 90-second cinematic trailer, the next look at GTA 6 ought to be substantial, and learning from a recent, viral trailer for a wildly different game could yield strong results.
Cyberpunk 2077: Project Orion's Bold Ambitions Could Put it in an Arms Race with GTA 6
According to a recent job listing from CD Projekt Red, Cyberpunk 2077's sequel could be upping its ambition, going toe-to-toe with the likes of GTA.
Strangely Enough, Death Stranding 2's Recent Trailer Could Be a Good Blueprint for GTA 6
Death Stranding 2's Pre-Order Trailer Is a Hum-Dinger
Released on March 10, 2025, the Death Stranding 2: On the Beach pre-order trailer provides a whopping ten minutes of new footage. The trailer covers key narrative as well as gameplay elements, further illuminating Kojima's highly enigmatic, cerebral action-sci-fi sequel. Naturally, fans of the first game have had their excitement renewed by this recent promotion, but even those with a more casual interest have perked up their ears in its wake.
The trailer, which is sitting at around two-million views at the time of writing, builds off the details introduced in earlier Death Stranding 2 promotions, deepening the game's overall sense of mystery and intrigue. It's hard to say that it actually answers many questions—that would be very unlike Hideo Kojima—but it is appropriately revealing, sparking greater interest. With Rockstar having to make up for lost time, and set the record straight following the myriad leaks and rumors surrounding GTA 6, a similarly substantive trailer could be a wise decision.
The Importance of Rockstar Delivering Fresh GTA 6 Information
As previously stated, GTA 6 underperforming is nigh inconceivable: it is perhaps the most widely publicized game of all time. Indeed, the flurry of speculation swirling around GTA 6 might actually be working to its advantage, serving as free advertising while the game itself gets to retain a sense of mystery; it's hard for a game to disappoint when the majority of information about it has been formed within the idealistic minds of hopeful fans.
But this sort of goodwill isn't permanent. In fact, it can often give way to resentment and ire if it's abused, as has been seen in the cases of companies like EA and Ubisoft, whose reputations have plummeted over the years following behavior that is viewed as increasingly unfriendly to consumers. That's not to say that Rockstar is in the same boat right now, but it could be if its future GTA 6 marketing isn't transparent.
The most recent Death Stranding 2 trailer is bombastic, emotional, and unapologetically "Death Stranding." It does an exceptional job of conveying the style and singular flair of the IP, and these two things—style and flair—are characteristics that GTA has in spades. It would be a shame for Rockstar not to leverage these strengths to their fullest extent, and a long, beefy trailer ala Death Stranding 2's could be just the way to do that.
OpenCritic Reviews
- Released
- November 19, 2026
- ESRB
- Rating Pending - Likely Mature 17+
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
WHERE TO PLAY
Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.
Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.
- Engine
- Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE)
- Franchise
- Grand Theft Auto
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
