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Grand Theft Auto VI countdown

Everything verifiable about GTA 6 in one place: the live countdown, all four official trailers, the release facts Rockstar has actually stated, Standard vs Ultimate, the preload date, and a board that keeps confirmed facts apart from rumours.

19 November 2026 PlayStation 5 Xbox Series X|S $79.99 Standard · $99.99 Ultimate ESRB M PC: not announced
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Counting down to Thursday 19 November 2026. Rockstar has not published the unlock hour. Digital preload opens on 12 November.

▶ Watch the trailers Editions & pre-order Confirmed vs rumoured

Last checked 21 October 2026 against Rockstar's own pages, the PlayStation Store listing and Take-Two's pre-order announcement. Every claim below links to its source. See sources and update log.

Official videos only

Every official GTA 6 trailer, in context

Four videos carry the whole public record of this game. Each one below is Rockstar's own upload, loads only when you press play, and comes with notes on what it actually shows. No leak footage, no fan edits, no re-uploads.

Launch Trailer

Published 15 October 2026About 90 secondsRockstar Games on YouTube
  • The music is the headline. It debuts “Flower in a Hurricane”, the first single from Justice's original score, with Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.
  • A story cut, not a mechanics reel. Jason narrates how he left the Army while Lucia reaches him from a prison phone. There is barely any HUD or raw gameplay on screen.
  • Rockstar's own framing: Jason and Lucia “have always known the deck is stacked against them” and are “forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.”
  • Captured on PS5 and badged “Plays best on PlayStation 5”, like every official video since Trailer 2.
  • What it does not contain: no new release information, no PC mention, no word on GTA Online.

Sources: Rockstar: Launch Trailer page · ComicBook, 15 Oct 2026 · Motor1, 19 Oct 2026

An Extended Look

Published 27 August 202626 min 48 sPremiered on Netflix at 3pm ET, YouTube about six hours later
  • The only long-form gameplay Rockstar has released. Its own description: “captured entirely from in-game footage on PlayStation 5”.
  • How it plays out, in order (Rockstar published no chapter markers): a pickup for Boobie Ike goes wrong and Jason shoots his way out using cover and slow-motion finishers; Jason and Lucia's apartment, with a working fridge and in-world TV; a drive across the city; a bar scene with Lori and Brian Heder and flashbacks to store robberies; a getaway with Raul that climbs to four wanted stars with a helicopter overhead and ends with the car torched by Molotov; a Bayside activities montage; a kidnapped blogger live-streaming from a car trunk; a mid-mission switch from Lucia, parachuting, to Jason via the D-pad; and a finale guarding Andres De Leon through an airport and a party raid.
  • Activities visible in the reel: basketball, scuba diving, a gym session timed with L2 and R2, jet ski, kayak, a street race, dirt bikes, arcade cabinets, a strip club, a store robbery, and scrolling a social feed on the beach.
  • Our reading for action-game players: the cover system and slow-motion kills look like Red Dead Redemption 2's toolkit transplanted into a modern city. That is our interpretation of the footage, not a Rockstar statement, and it is the first thing we will test at launch.

Sources: Rockstar Games on YouTube · VGTimes segment breakdown · Red Bull: everything revealed

Trailer 2

Published 6 May 20252 min 47 s
  • Jason Duval gets a name and a past: a former soldier scraping by in Leonida, with Lucia Caminos out of prison and the two as partners in crime and in life.
  • The map stops being a rumour. Rockstar's refreshed site named Vice City, the Leonida Keys, Grassrivers, Mount Kalaga, Ambrosia and Port Gellhorn alongside the trailer.
  • A supporting cast arrives: Cal Hampton, Boobie Ike, Dre'Quan Priest, Real Dimez (Bae-Luxe and Roxy), Raul Bautista and Brian Heder.
  • Music: “Hot Together” by The Pointer Sisters. Rockstar stated the footage was captured entirely in-game on a PlayStation 5.
  • Scale of the moment: released with around 70 screenshots and viewed more than 475 million times across platforms in 24 hours, reported as the biggest video launch of any kind.

Sources: Rockstar Games on YouTube · rockstargames.com/VI · Gigazine on the 24-hour view count

Trailer 1

Published 4 December 20231 min 31 s
  • Published a day early after the video leaked online; the plan had been 5 December.
  • Opens on Lucia in a Leonida prison talking to a counsellor, before the first look at Vice City's beaches, high-rises and neon.
  • Sets the tone with a social-feed montage: an alligator wandering into a convenience store, an arrest on a front lawn, dancing on moving cars.
  • Jason and Lucia rob a store together, and Lucia's line about sticking together frames the game as a two-hander from the start.
  • Music: Tom Petty, “Love Is a Long Road”. The end card read “Coming 2025”, a date that moved twice (see the timeline).

Sources: Rockstar Games on YouTube · Trailer dates and runtimes

Official Cover Art Reveal18 June 2026 · the box art, one week before pre-orders opened An Extended Look: Coming August 276 August 2026 · the three-week warning for the gameplay showcase
Verified

Release facts Rockstar has actually stated

Green means Rockstar or Take-Two said it in writing. Orange means nobody official has said anything yet, whatever you may have read elsewhere.

Release dateConfirmedThursday 19 November 2026Set by Rockstar on 6 November 2025 and unchanged since. The unlock hour has not been announced.
PlatformsConfirmedPlayStation 5 (including PS5 Pro) and Xbox Series X|SNo PlayStation 4 or Xbox One versions. Rockstar badges every video “Plays best on PS5”.
PCNot announcedNo PC version has been announcedGamesBeat reported a January to March 2027 window on 13 October 2026, citing four anonymous sources. Rockstar has not commented. For context, GTA V reached PC 19 months after consoles.
Pre-ordersConfirmedOpen since 25 June 2026Announced 24 June 2026; pre-orders began “at midnight local time” on the 25th.
Digital preloadConfirmed12 November 2026 for digital pre-orders and redeemed code-in-box copiesTake-Two's announcement gives the date only. The “local midnight” start time repeated online is not in that text.
Physical editionConfirmedCode in a box, no discThe box “contains a download code” so physical buyers can preload too. Standard Edition only; Ultimate is digital.
Price (US)Confirmed$79.99 Standard · $99.99 UltimatePlayStation Store listing and Take-Two's announcement. Regional prices differ; always check your own store.
Download sizeNot publishedNo official figureThe development-build sizes shared by leakers and the viral “676 GB” image (which shows an Xbox One, a platform the game is not on) are not Rockstar numbers.
Age ratingConfirmedESRB Mature 17+Descriptors on Rockstar's site: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol; In-Game Purchases.
OnlineNot announcedNothing has been announced about GTA Online for GTA VIRockstar has said the single-player game launches without microtransactions (August 2026 interviews). GTA Online continues on GTA V.
Setting and leadsConfirmedVice City and the state of Leonida; Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos“The darkest side of the sunniest place in America”, in Rockstar's words.
Official store pages
PlayStation Store Xbox Rockstar Games Amazon (search, affiliate)
Store links open the official listings. The Amazon link is an affiliate link; see our disclosure.
Pre-order guide

Standard vs Ultimate: what the extra $20 buys

Item names are copied from Rockstar's editions page. Where Rockstar only names a pack without listing its contents, we say so instead of guessing.

Grand Theft Auto VI Standard Edition cover
Digital or code in box

Standard Edition

$79.99US price

Includes

  • Grand Theft Auto VI
  • Vintage Vice City Pack, for pre-orders and any purchase before 20 November 2026
  • One free month of GTA+ with digital pre-orders, “instantly redeemable”, including the GTA+ Games Library

About the Vintage Vice City Pack

Rockstar describes it as items that “flash back to when the neon burned brightest” and does not itemise it. Vice's report of the announcement listed retro '80s outfits for Jason and Lucia, a 1955 Vapid Stanier and Tommy Vercetti-inspired tropical weapon skins. Treat that list as reported, not confirmed.

PlayStation Store Xbox Amazon (code in box)
Grand Theft Auto VI Ultimate Edition cover
Digital only

Ultimate Edition

$99.99US price

Everything in Standard, plus

  • '95 Grotti Cheetah and '67 Vapid Dominator Buggy
  • Shitzu Squalo (boat) and Jason's Safehouse Vehicles
  • Hawk & Little Morgan Revolvers and Personalized Weapon Variants
  • Vice City Style and Goodtime Gear (outfits and cosmetics)
  • Ganado Retro Build (vehicle mod kit)
  • Businesses: Rideout Customs Mod Shop, One-Eyed Willie's Mod Shop, Sara's Unisex Salon, Stock 305 Clothing Store, Electric Fang Tattoo Parlor
  • Extra jobs: PTT Youngin$ Illegal Goods Store and the Classic Car Collection

Rockstar's one-line pitch

“An exclusive collection of items threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia's story.”

PlayStation Store Xbox Rockstar's editions page
Who should pay the extra $20? Every Ultimate item is a vehicle, a weapon variant, a cosmetic or an in-world business tied to the story. If you tend to ignore bonus cars and outfits, Standard plus the Vintage pack is the complete game. If you like owning the garage from hour one, Ultimate is the only way to get these, since none of it is sold separately so far.
Can you decide later? The PlayStation Store lists an “Ultimate Edition Upgrade” and Vice reported that Standard owners can upgrade after release. Rockstar's own pages do not describe the upgrade, so confirm it on your store before counting on it. Whatever you choose, buying before 20 November is what keeps the Vintage Vice City Pack.

Some links on this page are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices are the US list prices on 21 October 2026 and can change. Details

Four years in public

From the 2022 leak to launch day

Every entry links to a primary source or the earliest reliable report we could find.

  1. The leak

    Around 90 clips from a development build appear online. Rockstar confirms the intrusion the next day and says work continues as planned. Wikipedia summary

  2. Trailer 1

    Released a day early after leaking. Lucia, Vice City, “Coming 2025”. Rockstar on YouTube

  3. First delay

    Rockstar moves the game from a fall 2025 window to 26 May 2026, apologising for the wait and citing the quality bar. MobileSyrup, 2 May 2025

  4. Trailer 2, screenshots and the new site

    Jason by name, six regions, a named cast, around 70 screenshots. Rockstar on YouTube

  5. Second delay

    The date moves another six months to 19 November 2026, announced on the Newswire the day of Take-Two's quarterly results. TechCrunch, 6 Nov 2025

  6. Cover art reveal

    The box art, one week before pre-orders. Rockstar on YouTube

  7. Prices, editions, preload

    $79.99 and $99.99, the Vintage Vice City Pack, a free month of GTA+, 12 November preload and the code-in-box physical edition. Pre-orders open on the 25th. Take-Two press release

  8. Extended Look announced

    A short teaser dates the showcase for 27 August. Rockstar on YouTube

  9. An Extended Look

    26 minutes of in-game footage, premiered on Netflix. Rockstar on YouTube

  10. The Album announced

    Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, 34 original tracks, out 19 November with the game. Rockstar: Music

  11. Radio stations previewed

    Six stations with hosts, plus the Vice City Collection at the Rockstar Store. Gematsu, 8 Oct 2026

  12. The PC report

    GamesBeat says PC follows in the first quarter of 2027, citing four anonymous sources. Unconfirmed. Beebom on the report

  13. Launch Trailer

    Justice's “Flower in a Hurricane” and a story-first cut. Rockstar: Launch Trailer

  14. Preload opens

    Digital pre-orders and redeemed code-in-box copies.

  15. Release

    PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Three kinds of “confirmed”

Shown, said, or merely reported

Most GTA 6 coverage blurs these together. We keep three columns: what Rockstar has shown in footage, what Rockstar has said in interviews or on its site without showing it, and what outlets report without Rockstar's confirmation.

Shown in official footage

Visible in the Extended Look or the trailers.

  • Cover-based shooting with slow-motion finishersExtended Look, opening sequence
  • A four-star police chase with a helicopter and multiple unitsExtended Look, getaway with Raul
  • Burning a getaway car with a Molotov to shed evidenceExtended Look
  • Switching between Jason and Lucia mid-mission with the D-padExtended Look, parachute scene
  • Gym workouts as a timed L2 and R2 inputExtended Look, Bayside montage
  • Store robbery, street race, dirt bikes, kayak, jet ski, scuba, basketball, arcade, strip clubExtended Look montage
  • Phone calls used mid-fight as a distraction; in-car social feeds; a passenger live-streaming a chaseExtended Look
  • Playing as both leads, from Lucia's prison opening to Jason's Army backstoryTrailers 1, 2 and Launch

Said by Rockstar, not yet shown

From Rockstar's site, interviews and press material.

  • Wanted level goes up to six stars; police judge how identifiable you are by clothing, vehicle and appearanceRockstar press material, August 2026
  • A “criminal profile” tracks behaviour such as unnecessary violence and, unlike wanted stars, does not resetRockstar interviews, August 2026
  • Diet, exercise and sleep visibly change Jason's and Lucia's bodiesRockstar interviews, August 2026
  • Jason and Lucia's relationship affects the story and the ending; they can be played as romantic or platonic partnersRockstar interviews, August 2026
  • Rob Nelson of Rockstar North estimates roughly 80 hours for a story-focused playthroughDeveloper estimate, August 2026
  • Single-player launches without microtransactions; no generative AI was used in developmentRockstar interviews, August 2026
  • Six radio stations at preview (Cocoteo, Back Country, Afro Bank FM, The Chamber, Flash FM, Dirty South Classics) plus in-game podcastsRockstar: Music, October 2026
  • Original score by Justice; a 34-track album releases with the gameRockstar: Music

Reported, unconfirmed

Credible outlets, no Rockstar confirmation. Treat as open questions.

  • PC release in January to March 2027GamesBeat via Beebom, 13 Oct 2026, four anonymous sources
  • Install size above 200 GBBased on a leaker's development build, not a store listing. The “676 GB” image is a hoax.
  • Map roughly three times the size of Red Dead Redemption 2'sRepeated across coverage of the Extended Look; no Rockstar figure
  • 30 frames per second on consolesMentioned in previews; Rockstar has not published performance modes
  • Physical copies ship with a printed map but no discThe code-in-box part is official; the map is a leak reported by ComicBook, 15 Oct 2026
  • Preload starts at “local midnight” on 12 NovemberAttributed to Rockstar support by third-party sites; the Take-Two release gives only the date
  • GTA Online for GTA VI arrives laterNothing has been announced either way

We move items between columns as Rockstar publishes more. If you spot something in the wrong column, tell us and we will check it against the source and log the correction below.

From Rockstar's own material

What we know about the game

Written only from Rockstar's trailers, site and statements. No leak content.

Leonida and Vice City

GTA VI returns to Vice City for the first time since 2002, but the city is now one part of a whole state. Rockstar's site names the Leonida Keys, the swamps of Grassrivers, the hills of Mount Kalaga, small-town Ambrosia and the faded coastal strip of Port Gellhorn alongside the city itself. The Extended Look spends as much time on airboats, back roads and beaches as it does downtown, and the social-feed clips that opened Trailer 1 are Rockstar's own satire of the state's reputation.

Jason and Lucia

Lucia Caminos starts the story coming out of prison. Jason Duval is a former soldier running errands for Leonida's criminals. Rockstar's synopsis: after an easy score goes wrong, the two are caught in a conspiracy that spans the state, and they are “forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive”. You switch between them at will, and Rockstar says how you play their relationship changes the story and the ending.

The systems Rockstar has described

A wanted system that returns to six stars and factors in how recognisable you are. A persistent criminal profile shaped by how you behave. Bodies that change with diet and exercise. A phone with in-world social apps, and in-game radio and podcasts you can listen to on foot. Cover shooting and slow-motion finishers you can see in the footage, which is why we file those under “shown” above and the rest under “said”.

Music

Justice composed the original score and lead the 34-track album that releases with the game. The six stations previewed in October span modern Latin (Cocoteo), country (Back Country), amapiano and African classics (Afro Bank FM), metal (The Chamber), pop (Flash FM, “the Vice City institution”) and southern rap classics (Dirty South Classics). Rockstar's own tagline for the metal station: “Crushing metal has landed in Leonida.”

Jason and Lucia leaning on a green car with the Vice City skyline behind them
Jason and Lucia, the two playable leads.
Aerial view of a bridge crossing turquoise water in the Leonida Keys with a seaplane in the foreground
The Leonida Keys.
A police helicopter flying past giant lit-up letters spelling Vice City at dusk
Vice City's letters at dusk.
Lucia climbing a wall in a dark industrial area
Lucia Caminos.
Jason standing beside a green motorcycle on a palm-lined street
Jason Duval.
A speedboat racing across the bay towards the Vice City skyline at night
Boats are a transport option, not a mini-game.
A mud-covered rally car sliding through a dirt track
Off-road racing in the Extended Look.

Screenshots and key art © Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive, from the official PlayStation Store listing. Used for editorial coverage; no modification beyond resizing.

Ready for 19 November

Launch-day checklist

Eight things to sort before preload opens, each based on what Rockstar has actually published.

  1. Free up far more storage than you think. Rockstar has not published a size. Red Dead Redemption 2 shipped at well over 100 GB in 2018 and this is a bigger game, so clear space early and ignore the fake 676 GB screenshot.
  2. Pre-order digitally if you want to play at 00:01. Preload opens on 12 November for digital pre-orders. Code-in-box buyers can preload too, but only after redeeming the code, so physical buyers need the box in hand first.
  3. Decide on the edition before 20 November. The Vintage Vice City Pack is tied to pre-orders and purchases before that date. The Ultimate extras can wait if your store offers the upgrade.
  4. Have a Rockstar Games account ready. Account linking has been standard for GTA Online and GTA+. The free GTA+ month from a digital pre-order is “instantly redeemable”, so you can use its library before launch.
  5. You do not need PlayStation Plus or Game Pass Core for the story. Those subscriptions matter only for online play, and nothing online has been announced for GTA VI yet.
  6. Check your region's unlock time on launch week. Rockstar has not published it. Preload timing reports point to local midnight, but that applies to the download, not necessarily to play.
  7. Headphones are part of the design. In-game radio and podcasts play on foot as well as in cars, per Rockstar's radio preview. Headset users will hear a lot more of the soundtrack.
  8. Plan your spoiler defences. With the ESRB rating already public and a story-first trailer out, launch-week spoilers will be everywhere. Mute the obvious keywords and bookmark this page for facts without story leaks.
ParryStack at launch

We play it from day one. Until then, no opinions.

ParryStack's site rule is simple: no verdicts on games we have not played, and no scores at all. This page therefore carries facts and clearly labelled interpretation only.

What is coming. The owner of this site will play Grand Theft Auto VI from launch day and publish the sessions on a dedicated channel built for this game. The link and the first episode will appear here when the channel is live. Written notes follow each session, in the same format as our Marvel's Wolverine and Black Myth: Wukong coverage.
The first things we will check
  1. Does the cover and slow-motion system feel like Red Dead Redemption 2's, or is it closer to GTA V's auto-aim?
  2. How fast does the wanted level climb, and do the escape tactics shown (burning the car, changing clothes, hiding in a boot) actually work at four and five stars?
  3. Is switching between Jason and Lucia instant in open play, and what changes in missions when you pick one over the other?
  4. Does the driving model reward braking and weight transfer the way the Extended Look's races suggest?
  5. How visible is the criminal profile, and does anything in the story react to it early on?
  6. What the actual install size and performance modes are on PS5, since Rockstar has published neither.
  7. Whether the Ultimate Edition businesses are side content worth $20 or just a garage.
  8. How much of the radio you really hear on foot with headphones.
Short answers

GTA 6 FAQ

The questions people actually search for, answered from the sources above.

Grand Theft Auto VI releases on Thursday 19 November 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Rockstar set that date on 6 November 2025 after two delays and has not changed it since. The exact unlock hour has not been announced.
Not officially. Rockstar has announced only PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. GamesBeat reported on 13 October 2026 that a PC version would follow between January and March 2027, citing four anonymous sources, and Rockstar has not commented. GTA V's PC version arrived 19 months after the console release.
In the United States the Standard Edition is $79.99 and the Ultimate Edition is $99.99, as listed on the PlayStation Store and in Take-Two's pre-order announcement. Prices in other regions differ, so check your own store.
Everything in Standard plus vehicles ('95 Grotti Cheetah, '67 Vapid Dominator Buggy, Shitzu Squalo boat, Jason's Safehouse Vehicles), Hawk & Little Morgan Revolvers and Personalized Weapon Variants, the Vice City Style and Goodtime Gear cosmetics, the Ganado Retro Build mod kit, five businesses (Rideout Customs, One-Eyed Willie's, Sara's Unisex Salon, Stock 305, Electric Fang Tattoo Parlor) and two extra jobs. Names are from Rockstar's editions page.
The Vintage Vice City Pack, included with every pre-order and with purchases made before 20 November 2026 on either edition. Digital pre-orders also get one free month of GTA+ that can be redeemed right away. Rockstar has not itemised the pack; Vice reported retro '80s outfits, a 1955 Vapid Stanier and tropical weapon skins.
Digital preload begins on 12 November 2026, one week before launch, for digital pre-orders on the PlayStation Store and Xbox Store and for physical code-in-box copies once the code is redeemed. Take-Two's announcement gives the date only; the local-midnight start time repeated online has not been confirmed by Rockstar in writing.
No. Take-Two's pre-order announcement says the physical Standard Edition box “contains a download code”, which is why physical buyers can also preload. The Ultimate Edition is digital only.
Rockstar has not published a file size and no store listing shows one yet. Figures above 200 GB come from a leaked development build, and the widely shared 676 GB screenshot is a fake that shows an Xbox One, a console the game is not releasing on. Plan for a very large download and wait for the store listing.
No. The announced platforms are PlayStation 5, including PS5 Pro, and Xbox Series X|S. PlayStation's own page states the game is not available on PS4.
Rockstar has announced nothing about an online mode for GTA VI. Everything shown so far is single-player, which Rockstar says launches without microtransactions. GTA Online continues to run on GTA V.
Jason Duval, a former soldier, and Lucia Caminos, who begins the story leaving prison. You can play as either and switch between them, including mid-mission. Rockstar says their relationship shapes the story and the ending, and that they can be played as romantic or platonic partners.
The PlayStation Store lists an Ultimate Edition Upgrade and Vice reported that upgrading after release will be possible. Rockstar's own editions page does not describe the upgrade path, so confirm it on your store before relying on it.
No. ParryStack does not publish verdicts on games it has not played and assigns no scores. We will play GTA VI from launch day on a dedicated channel and post session notes here; until then this page carries verified facts and clearly labelled interpretation only.

Counting down with other players

Ask a question, post what you are most waiting to try, or flag something we got wrong. The owner answers in the thread, and corrections land in the update log below.

Join the GTA 6 countdown thread Our GTA V hub

Sources & fact-check

Every fact on this page was checked against these sources on 21 October 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us. See our editorial standards.

Update log

This hub is updated whenever Rockstar publishes something, daily in launch week, then weekly. Each change is logged here.

  • Hub published: countdown, four official trailers with notes, release facts, editions, timeline, confirmed-vs-rumoured board, checklist, FAQ.

Also on ParryStack: Grand Theft Auto V · Red Dead Redemption 2 · all games.