To close out the month of November, gamers looking out for any and all tidbits about the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 were thrilled when some early footage of the game leaked online. At this point, it’s been more than 12 years since Grand Theft Auto 5 was released, and its follow-up, Grand Theft Auto 6, has taken on an almost mythical status, a unicorn that people have heard exists but some believe will never actually be seen.
Developer Rockstar Games confirmed in 2022 that GTA 6 was indeed in development, but it wasn’t until nearly two years later that the game was formally revealed. That first GTA 6 trailer, released more than two years ago now, was a phenomenon and became the most-watched game reveal video of all time, amassing 60 million views in less than 12 hours. Its follow-up trailer, released a year and a half later in May 2025, took it a step further and became the fastest-growing video in internet history, racking up 475 million views in 24 hours.
GTA 6's First Trailer Is Almost 2 Years Old
The first Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer nears an unfortunate milestone as the wait for the highly anticipated game continues to grow amid delays.
GTA 6 Leaked Footage Wasn't as Novel as People Thought
To say that people are looking forward to the release of the next GTA game would also be a record-breaking understatement. So when an early in-development Grand Theft Auto 6 gameplay video appeared online, it certainly got some attention. Though it was quickly NDA’d and taken down by the developer, the video was simply a demo reel of a former Rockstar employee. Among other things, it appeared to reveal that players would be able to use a bike rental station, similar to GTA 5, and perhaps even ride in the bed of a pickup truck. However, the bike rental stations had already been previously revealed by Rockstar in a promotional image.
In May 25, to accompany its record-breaking second trailer, Rockstar released 70 screenshots for GTA 6, one of which showed an isometric view of a Vice City street with a blue-and-white bus in the foreground. Just behind that bus, to the upper left, is a rack of rental bikes. This was spotted when the screenshots were first shared and fans began poring over them for any little detail or clue about the game. Granted, the appearance of bike racks in the image didn’t necessarily mean that players would be able to use them, and the demo reel seemed to confirm the suspicion. But some people are feeling a bit let down by the revelation that this isn’t entirely new information.
However, the demo reel by the former Rockstar dev also showed a female character jumping from the back of a moving pickup truck. This not only implies a possible new means of transportation, but it also reveals some dynamic and realistic animations that appeared pretty natural. It looked like movement that had been motion captured, which means it wasn’t just a passing or inconsequential element for a demo. It also implies that Rockstar has spent time working on realistic physics that take into account movement speed, character weight, and the terrain. It could also provide a hint about the level of co-op interactions between protagonists Jason and Lucia.
Of course, it’s all conjecture based on a short demo reel, and the truck part only lasted for a moment. But Red Dead Redemption 2 was released in 2018, five years after GTA 5, and the amount of realism in that game is largely what has made it a fan favorite. The world felt lived in and immersive. So, this short demo reel seems to show that Rockstar has continued to work on this tech in the years since RDR2’s release, and it has fans that much more excited about the launch of GTA 6.
Unfortunately, Grand Theft Auto 6 was recently delayed again, with a new release date of November 19, 2026. Originally, the game was confirmed to be coming in Fall 2025, which was then pushed to May 26. Though fans were hopeful, many didn’t really expect the game to launch without postponements. Both GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 were also hit with delays, and it seems par for the course with Rockstar, where releasing a polished and finished game seems to take precedence over assuaging fan demands.
OpenCritic Reviews
- Released
- November 19, 2026
- ESRB
- Rating Pending - Likely Mature 17+
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
