In short

  • GTA V came out on 17 September 2013. GTA 6 launches on Thursday 19 November 2026, on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
  • In between: three console generations of GTA V, a massive 2022 leak, two delays and a 27-minute Netflix premiere.
  • GTA V has now sold 225 million copies.
  • Our verdict: we're not really waiting for a game, we're waiting for a feeling. And from what we've seen, GTA 6 looks ready to deliver it.

GTA V launched on 17 September 2013, and the next Grand Theft Auto is finally less than two weeks away. If you were 10 when GTA V came out, you're 23 now. You've finished school, maybe university, maybe started a job, and the next GTA still hadn't come out. Here's everything that happened while we waited.

How long have we waited for GTA 6?

Just over 13 years. GTA V came out on PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2013. The PS5 didn't exist yet, and the iPhone 5s came out the same week.

It then came out on PS4 and Xbox One in 2014, on PC in 2015, and again on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S in 2022. It has now sold 225 million copies, according to Take-Two's latest figures reported by Insider Gaming.

Instead of a sequel, Rockstar kept feeding GTA Online: Heists in 2015, nightclubs in 2018 and Cayo Perico in 2020. Red Dead Redemption 2 came out in 2018 and was incredible, but it wasn't GTA.

When did Rockstar confirm GTA 6?

On 4 February 2022. Rockstar said active development of the next Grand Theft Auto was "well underway", TechRadar reported. It was one sentence at the end of a GTA V update, after nine years of silence, and fans lost their minds.

What happened with the GTA 6 leak?

Seven months later, in September 2022, around 90 early development videos were posted online. Rockstar confirmed it had suffered a network intrusion and said it was extremely disappointed, as NME reported. For over a year, those rough clips were the only GTA 6 footage anyone had seen.

How big were the GTA 6 trailers?

Huge. Trailer 1 was due on 5 December 2023 but leaked the night before, so Rockstar released it early. It passed 90 million YouTube views in 24 hours, a Guinness World Record for a non-music video, Push Square reported.

Trailer 2 arrived in May 2025, and Rockstar said it pulled in 475 million views across every platform in its first day, according to TechRadar.

How many times was GTA 6 delayed?

Twice. The original release window was 2025. In May 2025, GTA 6 moved to 26 May 2026. Then in November 2025 it moved again, to 19 November 2026, Gematsu reported. Rockstar said the extra months were for polish.

What was the GTA 6 Extended Look?

A 27-minute gameplay showcase that premiered on Netflix on 27 August 2026. Netflix said it got 31.1 million views in four days and hit No. 1 in 87 of the 93 countries it tracks, Variety reported.

So that's 13 years, 2 delays and 1 leak. And now it's actually here.

Was the 13-year wait worth it?

This is our opinion, not a review: we haven't played it yet. But we don't think people are really waiting for a game. They're waiting for a feeling: the first time you drove out of the garage in GTA V, your first five-star wanted level, or just driving around Los Santos with the radio on for hours.

GTA V gave us 13 years of that, and a lot of us grew up inside it. From everything we've seen so far, GTA 6 looks ready to do the same:

  • A busier world than anything Rockstar has made, from packed streets to nightclubs you can walk into.
  • Combat that finally feels right, closer to Red Dead Redemption 2 than GTA V.
  • A story that starts in a prison cell, with Lucia, and a relationship with Jason that already looks dangerous.
  • The team behind Red Dead Redemption 2.

GTA 6 doesn't have to be the perfect game. It just has to make us feel the way GTA V did, for the next 10 years. We think it will.

Watch: our video

We Waited 13 Years for ThisRising FX
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FAQ

When does GTA 6 come out?

Thursday 19 November 2026, on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

How many years between GTA 5 and GTA 6?

GTA V came out on 17 September 2013, so it's just over 13 years.

How many times was GTA 6 delayed?

Twice: from 2025 to 26 May 2026, then to 19 November 2026.

We'll update this story when GTA 6 launches.