Timeline
Everything that has actually happened, in order, with sources. Future dates are marked.
Last reviewed
- UpcomingConfirmed
GTA 6 releases
On PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
- UpcomingConfirmed
Pre-load begins
A week before launch, for both digital and boxed copies.
SourcesTake-Two Interactive - UpcomingConfirmed
Employment tribunal trial begins
The trial over the 2025 dismissals runs to 15 October 2026, concluding about five weeks before launch.
SourcesPC Gamer - UpcomingConfirmed
“An Extended Look” premieres
Netflix at 3:00 PM ET, then Rockstar's YouTube channel and official site at 9:00 PM ET.
- Confirmed
Take-Two reaffirms the date
Take-Two's Q1 FY2027 results reiterated a full-year outlook of $8.0–8.2 billion in net bookings, explicitly tied to the 19 November launch. Its chief executive called pre-orders unprecedented but disclosed no figures. Note that the quarter's $1.39 billion in net bookings is the company's total, not GTA 6 pre-order revenue.
- Confirmed
“An Extended Look” announced
Rockstar revealed the video would premiere on Netflix on 27 August 2026 before reaching its own channels the same evening.
- Confirmed
Pre-orders open
Available through the PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, the Rockstar Games Store and retailers. Digital pre-orders include a month of GTA+.
SourcesTake-Two Interactive - Confirmed
Pricing and editions revealed
$79.99 standard and $99.99 Ultimate, with the physical release containing a download code rather than a disc.
- Confirmed
Tribunal allows all claims to proceed
Rockstar failed to strike out the blacklisting claims, so all allegations proceed to trial. No findings of fact have been made.
SourcesPC Gamer - Confirmed
ShinyHunters breach via a third-party vendor
The group reached Rockstar data through Anodot, a cloud cost-monitoring vendor, and published it after Rockstar refused a $200,000 ransom. Rockstar confirmed a limited amount of non-material company information was accessed. The dump was financial and operational — no GTA 6 code, builds or assets were confirmed in it. This is a separate incident from the 2022 leak.
SourcesTom's Hardware - Confirmed
Second delay: to 19 November 2026
Rockstar apologised for the additional wait, saying the extra months would allow it to finish the game with the expected level of polish.
- Confirmed
Rockstar dismisses 34 employees
Rockstar dismissed 34 workers, 31 in the UK and three in Canada, stating they were let go for gross misconduct after discussing confidential information in a public forum. The IWGB union alleges union-busting and says the venue was a private union Discord with rules against sharing sensitive material. Rockstar and Take-Two deny any link to unionisation. The matter is before an employment tribunal, with the full trial running 10 September to 15 October 2026.
- Confirmed
Trailer 2
Dropped unannounced with full character biographies and dozens of screenshots. Over 475 million views in 24 hours across platforms.
- Confirmed
First delay: to 26 May 2026
Rockstar moved the game out of its 2025 window.
SourcesVariety - Confirmed
Arion Kurtaj sentenced
The Lapsus$ member behind the 2022 hack received an indefinite hospital order, to be detained until doctors judge he is no longer a danger. He carried out the Rockstar hack from a hotel room while on bail. Rockstar told the court the breach cost it around $5 million and thousands of staff hours. He was moved to prison in 2026 ahead of a retrial set for November.
- Confirmed
Trailer 1
Released a day early after leaking. Confirmed Vice City, Leonida and Lucia, and set records for the most-viewed game trailer in 24 hours.
SourcesGuinness World Records - Confirmed
The Rockstar hack and the 90-video leak
A user posting as “teapotuberhacker” uploaded around 90 videos of pre-alpha GTA 6 footage taken from Rockstar's internal systems. Rockstar confirmed a network intrusion and said it did not expect long-term effects on development. The footage was early-build material with debug overlays — reliable about setting and systems, worthless as a guide to the finished game.