Rockstar reveals Grand Theft Auto VI a day early with Trailer 1

Grand Theft Auto VI got its first trailer on December 4, 2023. Rockstar Games put it out a day before the planned premiere, after a copy turned up online. A Take-Two press release that day made the basics official: the title, a setting in the state of Leonida, including Vice City, a 2025 release, and PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S as the platforms.

What Rockstar confirmed

Before that day, Rockstar had not confirmed the game's title. Pure Xbox had noted just days earlier that the studio still had not said what the game would be called. The press release settled it and set out four points:

• Name: Grand Theft Auto VI.
• Setting: Leonida, a state that contains Vice City along with territory outside the city.
• Release: 2025, with no month or day.
• Platforms: PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Sam Houser, Rockstar's founder, said in the release: "We're thrilled to be able to share this new vision with players everywhere."

The press release sent fans to the video on Rockstar's YouTube channel. It also sits on the Newswire and on the game's official site, which dates it December 4, 2023. The footage introduced a pair of leads, the characters now named Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, and gave players a first look at present-day Vice City and the rest of Leonida; GTA Boss has a recap. Its first day on YouTube set viewing records.

What it meant for players

For the first time, players had a name, a place, a year and a list of consoles straight from the publisher. The release did not mention PC, which left PC players without a version to plan for. The PC release tracker follows where that stands now.

The year turned out to be the least certain part. According to PCWorld, the release later slipped past 2025 to May 26, 2026, and then to November 19, 2026, the date that now stands.

Why it arrived early

Rockstar had booked the premiere for Tuesday, December 5, at 9am ET, as its Newswire announcement of December 1 said (our report). On the Monday, an anonymous account on X posted a copy of the trailer, and X banned the account soon after, VGC reported.

Rockstar did not wait. It put the official video on YouTube and told fans on X: "Our trailer has leaked so please watch the real thing on YouTube." Leonidle does not link to or describe the copy that leaked.

Background

The reveal closed out a run of announcements that started in November 2023, when Rockstar said its first trailer would come in December to mark its 25th anniversary, as VGC recapped. For the full sequence, from that message to the current release date, see the timeline.