The trailer for the latest chapter in the blockbuster “Grand Theft Auto” series dropped one day early on Monday, moments after the preview for the highly anticipated game leaked on social media.
Developer Rockstar Games revealed the next installment, “Grand Theft Auto VI,” will be released in 2025 — more than 10 years after the debut of “Grand Theft Auto V,” the modern crime noir set in a fictional contemporary Los Angeles and Southern California. That title shattered sales records for all types of media properties upon its release.
“Our trailer has leaked so please watch the real thing on YouTube,” Rockstar Games said on X, formerly Twitter.
Fans have been eagerly anticipating another “GTA” game since “Grand Theft Auto V” released in 2013, posting memes about the amount of time between game releases. Rockstar announced they were developing the latest title last year and footage of the game leaked several months later, with gamers posting their theories about the narrative and gameplay across forums and social media.
The debut trailer, originally set to release Tuesday, reached 60 million views on Rockstar Games’ YouTube channel within 12 hours, according to industry news site GamesIndustry.biz, and gives players a glimpse of the game’s protagonist, Lucia, a woman who is seemingly half of a Bonnie and Clyde-type couple.
The trailer also confirms that the sixth installment will be set in the fictional state of Leonida, home to “Vice City” — modeled after Miami. Leaning into the “Florida Man” stereotype, the video touches on the ubiquity of social media by showing live-streaming videos of daily life and mischief — all against the backdrop of Tom Petty’s 1989 song “Love is a Long Road.”
More than 190 million copies of the fifth game have sold in the 10 years since its release, according to a November report from parent company Take-Two Interactive, making it one of the best-selling games in history. That game reached $1 billion in retail sales faster than any entertainment release in history, the company said, and was released across an unprecedented three console generations.
“Grand Theft Auto VI” will be available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
A spokesperson for New York-based Rockstar Games did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the leak.
“Grand Theft Auto VI continues our efforts to push the limits of what’s possible in highly immersive, story-driven open-world experiences,” Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to be able to share this new vision with players everywhere.”
