GTA 6 guide: release date, editions, map and everything confirmed
Everything confirmed about Grand Theft Auto VI before the Nov 19 launch: platforms, $79.99 and $99.99 editions, Leonida map, cast, trailers, PC status.
Checked against Pre-launch (Newswire to Oct 29, 2026) on 1 Nov 2026. We re-test every guide after major updates; if something changed, tell us.
Grand Theft Auto VI launches on Thursday, November 19, 2026, and as of November 2026 that date has not moved since Rockstar locked it in a year ago. This GTA 6 guide collects everything Rockstar has actually confirmed before launch: platforms, editions and pre-order bonuses, the state of Leonida, Jason and Lucia and their cast, what the four official videos showed, the music, and where the PC version stands. Everything is checked against the official Grand Theft Auto VI site and the Rockstar Newswire, so you can separate the confirmed facts from the rumour mill.
Verified against Rockstar's Newswire posts up to October 29, 2026 (the Original Score announcement) and the PlayStation Store listing. For the latest movement in the final two weeks, read our GTA VI launch status report.
GTA 6 release date and platforms
The game arrives on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on November 19, 2026. Rockstar announced the date in a short Newswire post on November 6, 2025, apologising for the extra wait and saying the additional months would let the team finish the game with the polish players expect. It was the second slip: the first trailer in December 2023 pointed at 2025, and in May 2025 Rockstar moved the game to May 26, 2026 before settling on November.
A few platform details worth knowing:
- The PlayStation Store lists the game as PS5 Pro Enhanced, with DualSense haptics, adaptive triggers and Tempest 3D audio called out. It is not playable on PS4.
- Rockstar says the game "plays best on PlayStation 5"; the Extended Look and launch trailer were both captured on PS5. Xbox Series S is included; Xbox One is not.
- Rated ESRB Mature 17+ (blood and gore, intense violence, nudity, strong sexual content, drugs and alcohol) with an In-Game Purchases label.
Rockstar has given a date but not a clock time; expect unlock times on the Newswire in the days before release.
Hi everyone, Grand Theft Auto VI will now release on Thursday, November 19, 2026. We are sorry for adding additional time to what we realize has been a long wait, but these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve.
— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) November 6, 2025
Editions, prices and pre-order bonuses
Pre-orders opened on June 25, 2026, a week after Rockstar revealed the cover art. Take-Two's pre-order press release and the PlayStation Store listing agree on the pricing:
| Edition | US price | Format | What is in the box |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Edition | $79.99 | Digital, or physical "code in a box" | Base game. Pre-orders add the Vintage Vice City Pack and one month of GTA+ (digital only). |
| Ultimate Edition | $99.99 | Digital only | Base game plus the Ultimate Edition bonus content, Vintage Vice City Pack and one month of GTA+. |
| Ultimate Edition Upgrade | TBA | Digital add-on | Listed on the PlayStation Store for Standard owners who want the Ultimate content later; not yet purchasable. |
| The Goodtime State – Vice City Collection | $399.99 | Physical collector's box | Merchandise only (Macca the Gator figure, Oakley Frogskins, New Era cap, poster and more). Does not include the game. |
Two things trip people up: the physical Standard Edition has no disc (a download code in a box, in shops from November 12 so you can pre-load), and the Ultimate Edition is digital only.
Vintage Vice City Pack (pre-order bonus)
Every pre-order, and every purchase made before November 20, 2026, includes the Vintage Vice City Pack. Rockstar's official screenshot set shows what that means in practice: a '55 Vapid Stanier, a set of Vintage Vice City outfits and hairstyles for Jason and Lucia, and a Vintage Vice City weapon pattern. You do not need the Ultimate Edition to get it.
Ultimate Edition contents
Rockstar calls it an exclusive collection "threaded across all aspects of Jason and Lucia's story"; its 51 official screenshots name the contents:
- Vehicles: '95 Grotti Cheetah, Shitzu Squalo speedboat, '67 Vapid Dominator Buggy, a Ganado Retro Build, plus Jason's safehouse vehicles (a Dinka Enduro motorcycle and a Crest Kayak) and a six-car Classic Car Collection.
- Weapons: Hawk & Little Morgan Revolvers and personalised weapon variants.
- Places and shops: Rideout Customs Mod Shop, One-Eyed Willie's Mod Shop, Sara's Unisex Salon, Stock 305 Clothing Store and the PTT YOUNGIN$ Illegal Goods Store.
- Looks: Vice City Style outfits, Electric Fang tattoos and Goodtime Gear.
Tip: The free month of GTA+ only comes with digital pre-orders on the PlayStation Store or Microsoft Store, must be claimed by March 31, 2027, and rolls into a paid subscription unless you cancel. If you buy the code-in-a-box version you get the Vintage Vice City Pack but not the GTA+ month.
Single-player at launch: what about GTA Online?
Rockstar has been consistent since June: Grand Theft Auto VI is being sold as a single-player experience. The PlayStation Store lists one player and offline play, and no new online mode has been announced for launch. Take-Two, meanwhile, has said it will keep supporting the existing GTA Online after GTA VI ships. In short: the story is the product on November 19, and any multiplayer for the new game will be announced separately. Rockstar has also said the single-player game launches without microtransactions.
The map: the state of Leonida
GTA VI swaps Los Santos for Leonida, Rockstar's take on Florida, and a modern-day Vice City. The official screenshot library sorts the world into six named regions, the closest thing to a confirmed map breakdown:
| Region | What Rockstar has shown |
|---|---|
| Vice City | The main city, set in Vice-Dale County. Rockstar bills it as "the darkest side of the sunniest place in America". Home of Flash FM and Boobie Ike's empire. |
| Leonida Keys | The island chain where Jason lives rent-free on Brian Heder's property and runs product for local smugglers. |
| Grassrivers | Wetlands and airboat country; Back Country Radio's roving reporter files from a Grassrivers airboat. |
| Port Gellhorn | Coastal port town that Back Country Radio also broadcasts to. |
| Ambrosia | Inland sugar-industry town; the least-shown region so far. |
| Mount Kalaga National Park | Wilderness park at the northern edge of the state. |
Rockstar has not published a full map or a size figure; treat any comparison with GTA V or Red Dead Redemption 2 as community estimation.
Protagonists and cast: Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos
For the first time in the HD-era games you play a criminal couple, and you can switch between them. Rockstar's Only in Leonida character pages lay out who they are.
Jason Duval grew up around grifters, did a stint in the Army to shake off a rough adolescence, then drifted back to the Keys to work for local drug runners. Lucia Caminos was taught to fight by her father before she could properly walk; defending her family put her in Leonida Penitentiary, and luck got her out. The story opens with her fresh out of prison, chasing the good life her mother dreamed of back in Liberty City.
The supporting cast Rockstar has introduced so far:
- Cal Hampton: Jason's conspiracy-minded friend who listens in on Coast Guard radio from his couch.
- Boobie Ike: Vice City legend who turned street money into real estate, a strip club and a recording studio.
- Dre'Quan Priest: Boobie's partner in Only Raw Records, a hustler chasing a hit.
- Real Dimez (Bae-Luxe and Roxy): a rap duo and social-media machine newly signed to Only Raw.
- Raul Bautista: a veteran bank robber recruiting for high-risk scores.
- Brian Heder: an old-school Keys smuggler, Jason's landlord, who lets others do the dirty work.
Trailer breakdown: all four official videos
Rockstar has released exactly four videos, all on its own YouTube channel and the GTA VI site:
- Trailer 1 (December 4, 2023, 1:31)Introduced Lucia, Vice City and a 2025 window that did not hold. Pushed out a day early after a leak, it still set YouTube's record for a trailer debut.
- Trailer 2 (May 6, 2025, 2:47)Named Jason, showed the couple's dynamic and most of the cast, and arrived with the character pages. Rockstar said it drew 475 million views across platforms in a day.
- An Extended Look (August 27, 2026, 26:48)The gameplay reveal, premiered on Netflix at 3 p.m. ET and on YouTube six hours later. Captured on PS5.
- Launch Trailer (October 15, 2026)A story-focused cut set to "Flower in a Hurricane", the Justice single featuring Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.
The Extended Look is the one to watch for how the game plays. Its headline systems, cross-checked against the Wikipedia summary and GTA Wiki's breakdown:
- Dual protagonists on the fly: a selection wheel lets you take Jason, Lucia, or control the pair with the other run by the AI; one chase has Lucia driving while Jason shoots.
- Smarter police: officers identify you by clothing, appearance, vehicle and whether you are together, and the wanted level now goes to six stars. Changing clothes or cars helps you shake them.
- Everyday crime: gas-station and store robberies, car theft and a drug pickup for Boobie Ike that turns into a shootout.
- Life sim details: haircuts, meals, gyms and sleep feed into how Jason and Lucia look, and their relationship reacts to how you spend your time.
Music: six radio stations, podcasts and the Justice score
Rockstar's radio stations reveal on October 8 confirmed the first six of what it calls the biggest in-game radio selection yet: Cocoteo FM (modern Latin), Back Country Radio (renegade country), AfroBank FM (African music, amapiano and more), The Chamber 106.6 (metal), Flash FM (the returning Vice City pop station) and Dirty South Classics (regional rap). Classic rock and talk stations are confirmed but unnamed. New this time: on-demand podcasts, and the ability to listen on foot through headphones connected to your phone.
There are two albums. Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album is a 34-track soundtrack of original songs released alongside the game. The Original Score, by French duo Justice, is a 30-track adaptive score album arriving December 11, 2026, and includes the launch-trailer single plus "Pusher" featuring Gesaffelstein.
Is GTA 6 coming to PC?
Not yet, and nothing official says when. Every Rockstar and Take-Two statement names PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S only. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has repeatedly said Rockstar handles platforms one at a time and will announce others "in due time". Industry reports point at a 2027 PC version, but no date, no storefront and no spec sheet have been published. For precedent, GTA V took about 19 months to reach PC and Red Dead Redemption 2 about 13.
Common mistake: Steam and Epic do not list Grand Theft Auto VI. Any "PC pre-order", "PC beta key" or downloadable "PC build" you see is a scam, and leaked development builds circulating online have been flagged as carrying malware.
Launch-week checklist
Eighteen days out, this is what you can actually do now:
- Pick your editionStandard at $79.99 gets you the whole story. Ultimate at $99.99 is the only way to get the Cheetah, Squalo and the extra shops at launch; an upgrade path exists for later.
- Pre-order before November 20That is the cut-off for the Vintage Vice City Pack; digital pre-orders also bank the free GTA+ month.
- Clear storageRockstar has not published a file size, but a state-sized map points to one of the biggest console installs yet. Free up well over 150 GB to be safe.
- Pre-load on November 12Digital pre-orders and code-in-a-box copies can both download a week early.
- Watch the NewswireUnlock times and day-one patch notes go there first; our Grand Theft Auto VI hub will track them. Filling the wait? Our Phantom Blade Zero walkthrough covers this autumn's other big action release.
FAQ
When does GTA 6 come out?
Thursday, November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Rockstar has not announced an unlock time; pre-loading starts November 12.
How much does GTA 6 cost?
The Standard Edition is $79.99 and the Ultimate Edition is $99.99 in the US. The $399.99 Goodtime State – Vice City Collection is a merchandise box and does not include the game.
Does the physical version of GTA 6 come on a disc?
No. The physical Standard Edition is a download code in a box, available from November 12. The Ultimate Edition is digital only.
Is GTA 6 coming to PC?
Rockstar has not announced a PC version. Only PS5 and Xbox Series X|S are confirmed; reports of a 2027 PC release are unconfirmed.
Does GTA 6 have online multiplayer at launch?
Rockstar describes it as a single-player experience and the store listing says one player. No new online mode has been announced; the current GTA Online continues separately.
Has finished every FromSoftware game at level 1. Writes the boss guides and checks them on every patch.