Source archive / timeline desk
A clean chronology of official announcements, trailer releases, public reporting, breach history, delays, and studio context. Confirmed events stay separate from speculation.
Confirmed means cited
Official posts, earnings material, trailers, and reputable reporting are labelled by source strength.
Speculation stays marked
Casting rumours, pre-order chatter, and weak signals are never marked confirmed.
Breach coverage is limited
Breach entries document public history only. No leaked footage, builds, source code, or mirrors are hosted here.
2013 to 2026
Newest entries first. Dates use UTC where a precise local release time is not needed.
Rockstar reveals the official cover art on YouTube and says preorders began June 25.
Rockstar's June 18 update says GTA VI preorders began on June 25. The official media archive also adds the cover art, the YouTube cover-art reveal and a 20-item artwork and wallpaper set covering Jason, Lucia, supporting characters and Leonida postcards.
Review sourcePartners, merchandise, and ad buys ramping ahead of launch.
As of mid-April 2026, marketing partners and Rockstar begin pre-launch campaign activity ahead of the November 19, 2026 launch.
Review sourceReported breach via third-party cloud provider.
Hacking collective ShinyHunters claim responsibility for a breach of Rockstar-adjacent cloud infrastructure via third-party services ahead of GTA VI launch. Separate from the 2022 Slack incident.
Review sourceIndustry chatter about edition structure begins.
Through early 2026, outlets speculate about a standard / deluxe / ultimate / collector's structure following RDR2 precedent. No Rockstar confirmation.
Review sourcePress reports a full summer marketing push.
GameSpot reports Take-Two plans to begin the full GTA VI marketing campaign in summer 2026 ahead of the November launch.
Review sourceManagement reaffirms November 19, 2026 target.
Take-Two's February 2026 earnings call reaffirms that GTA VI is on track for November 19, 2026.
Review sourceSecond delay pushes launch by ~6 months.
Rockstar announces a second delay, moving GTA VI from May 26, 2026 to November 19, 2026. Cites additional time to hit expected polish.
Review source"Sorry for adding additional time to what we realize has been a long wait."
Rockstar's X post and Newswire post confirm the November 19, 2026 date and apologize for the wait, citing polish.
Review sourceFormal Newswire article for second delay.
Rockstar's Newswire formally announces the new date of November 19, 2026.
Review sourceMainstream press frames the delay for general audiences.
The Hollywood Reporter publishes an industry-facing article on the November 19, 2026 delay, contextualizing impact on Take-Two.
Review sourceCFO and Zelnick address investors.
Take-Two's fiscal Q2 FY26 earnings call addresses the November delay and reiterates confidence in the title's commercial potential.
Review sourceBloomberg's article on the second delay.
Bloomberg confirms the delay from May 2026 to November 19, 2026 and discusses Take-Two's financial guidance.
Review sourcePost-trailer-2 earnings maintain date.
Take-Two's Q1 FY26 earnings maintain May 26, 2026 guidance for GTA VI.
Review sourceUpdates slow as studio consolidates around GTA VI.
GTA Online update cadence slows through 2025 as Rockstar concentrates capacity on finishing GTA VI.
Review sourceAcross YouTube, X, TikTok, Instagram.
Trailer 2 records 475M+ cross-platform views and 84M on YouTube alone in its first 24 hours.
Review sourceSecond trailer centers Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos.
Rockstar releases Trailer 2, revealing Lucia Caminos and Jason Duval's names, showcasing Vice City in motion, and carrying the then-current May 26, 2026 date. It amasses 475M+ cross-platform views in 24 hours, 84M on YouTube alone.
Review sourceTrailer 2 confirms full character names.
Rockstar's Trailer 2 page formally confirms "Lucia Caminos" and "Jason Duval" as the two protagonists.
Review sourceFirst public delay; Take-Two stock dips.
Rockstar and Take-Two announce GTA VI is delayed from Fall 2025 to May 26, 2026. Take-Two shares fall ~5% on the news.
Review sourceOfficial Rockstar post establishes May 2026 target.
Rockstar's Newswire post formalizes the May 26, 2026 release date and thanks fans for patience.
Review sourceTake-Two reports new milestone before GTA VI.
Take-Two's fiscal reporting through 2024 to 2025 shows GTA V sell-through climbing past 210 million, a benchmark GTA VI is expected to eventually approach.
Review sourceGuidance maintained in fiscal 2024 close.
Take-Two's fiscal year 2024 earnings maintain Fall 2025 release guidance for GTA VI as the flagship driver of FY26 revenue.
Review sourceWeekly deep-dive thread analyzing single frames.
A Reddit user begins a weekly "Frame Friday" series examining individual trailer frames; runs for 67+ weeks by 2026.
Review sourceStrauss Zelnick confirms target in earnings call.
Take-Two earnings and subsequent guidance reiterate a Fall 2025 release window for GTA VI.
Review sourceFull 4K frame archive at smallo.au/gtavi.
A fan-created archive publishes 4K screenshots of every frame of Trailer 1, becoming a backbone reference for subsequent breakdowns.
Review sourceFan and outlet reporting identifies Perez.
Through community sleuthing and interviews in which Perez alludes to a major voice role, Manni L. Perez becomes the most-cited rumored voice of Lucia. Not confirmed by Rockstar.
Review sourceSets YouTube non-music record at the time.
Trailer 1 passes 90 million views in its first 24 hours on YouTube - briefly the most-viewed trailer in 24 hours in video-game history.
Review sourceRecord 24-hour trailer view count at the time.
Within 24 hours of its official drop, Trailer 1 surpasses 90 million YouTube views - a record among non-music videos at the time.
Review sourceOfficial debut trailer, set to Tom Petty's "Love Is a Long Road".
Rockstar posts the official 1:31 Trailer 1 on YouTube and Newswire. It confirms Vice City / Leonida, protagonist Lucia, and a 2025 window. Tom Petty's estate licenses "Love Is a Long Road."
Review sourcePage becomes one of the most-edited gaming articles of the year.
After Trailer 1, the Wikipedia GTA VI article becomes a major clearinghouse of reporting and a common secondary citation for subsequent coverage.
Review source"Real Dimez" car-dance shot goes viral.
The car-dance scene in Trailer 1, which references a real Miami viral clip, becomes one of the most-shared stills of the trailer and drives the "Real Dimez" character discourse.
Review sourceSong use drives streaming spike.
Tom Petty's "Love Is a Long Road" is featured in Trailer 1, triggering a streaming spike for the track and helping set the tone of the marketing.
Review sourceLow-quality leak forces Rockstar to release early.
The first GTA VI trailer leaks online roughly 16 hours before its scheduled YouTube Premiere. Rockstar releases the official 4K version the same night.
Review source"Early December" trailer confirmed on 25th anniversary.
Rockstar posts a message from Sam Houser announcing the first trailer will come in early December. The tweet becomes the most-liked gaming tweet ever.
Review sourceReport details marketing ramp.
Bloomberg reports Rockstar is preparing to announce GTA VI and release its first trailer to coincide with Rockstar's 25th anniversary.
Review sourceTrailer tease coincides with studio milestone.
Rockstar marks its 25th anniversary the same day it teases Trailer 1. Founded December 1998.
Review sourceLapsus$-linked teen committed to UK hospital.
The 18-year-old responsible for the 2022 Rockstar leak is sentenced to an indefinite hospital order in the UK in August 2023.
Review sourceHouser's post-Rockstar company emerges publicly.
Dan Houser publicly announces Absurd Ventures, his post-Rockstar production company spanning games, books and scripted media. It doesn't contribute to GTA VI but frames the era.
Review sourceRockstar confirms the breach, denies long-term project impact.
Rockstar posts an official statement on Twitter/X confirming the leak and saying it does not expect long-term effects on GTA VI development.
Review sourceTeenage hacker exfiltrates early GTA VI footage.
Around 90 videos/clips of early GTA VI development footage leak after an 18-year-old gains access to Rockstar's Slack. Rockstar confirms the breach in an SEC 8-K and a public statement; the hacker is later convicted and committed to a secure hospital in the UK.
Review sourceHeadcount pivots from GTA Online and RDR Online.
Bloomberg reports Rockstar is transitioning teams from GTA Online and Red Dead Online to GTA VI, signalling the shift in flagship focus.
Review sourceFirst official acknowledgement of GTA VI.
In a February 2022 Newswire note, Rockstar confirms the next GTA is "well underway" - the first official reference to what becomes GTA VI.
Review sourceDhruva team fully integrated with Rockstar India.
Through 2020 to 2021, Dhruva Interactive is fully absorbed into Rockstar India, forming a large art/outsourcing pipeline that supports GTA VI.
Review sourceScottish studio folded into Rockstar to boost capacity.
Rockstar acquires Ruffian Games in October 2020 and rebrands it as Rockstar Dundee, returning GTA development back to the franchise's birthplace city.
Review sourceReports describe Rockstar shifting personnel to GTA VI and shorter dev cycles.
Jason Schreier reports that Rockstar is working on a new GTA (later GTA VI) and changing production strategy to reduce crunch.
Review sourceReport says Rockstar aims to ship smaller and update over time.
Kotaku's Schreier reports Rockstar intends to release a smaller initial GTA VI and expand with post-launch content, partly to reduce crunch.
Review sourceLongtime writer and radio producer exits after ~20 years.
Lazlow Jones, who shaped GTA radio stations and wrote alongside Dan Houser, leaves Rockstar in April 2020, citing personal/family reasons.
Review sourceKey creative lead officially leaves.
Take-Two announces Dan Houser's departure in February 2020; he formally exits on March 11, 2020. His absence reshapes GTA VI's creative leadership.
Review source~13 months after console - a data point for GTA VI PC timing.
Red Dead Redemption 2 launches on PC in November 2019, 13 months after consoles - a commonly cited precedent for GTA VI's eventual PC release.
Review sourceHeads of San Diego and Lincoln studios replaced.
Following the RDR2 crunch controversy, Rockstar replaces studio heads in San Diego and Lincoln to address culture issues ahead of GTA VI's heaviest phase.
Review sourceIndia studio folded into Rockstar India.
Rockstar acquires Dhruva Interactive from Starbreeze for $7.9 million, expanding art-outsourcing capacity used in long-cycle titles like GTA VI.
Review sourceRockstar co-founder takes sabbatical post-RDR2.
Take-Two discloses an extended leave for Dan Houser in early 2019 following RDR2's launch; it later becomes permanent.
Review sourceRockstar postings hint at next-gen open-world work.
Take-Two and Rockstar job listings begin referencing next-generation open-world production; analyst commentary treats them as proto-GTA VI staffing.
Review sourceRockstar's prior flagship ships after years of crunch.
RDR2 releases on console. Its success and the discourse around its production directly shape Rockstar's approach to GTA VI.
Review sourceDan Houser's "100-hour weeks" remark ignites crunch debate.
An interview quoting Dan Houser on 100-hour weeks draws backlash. Kotaku's reporting exposes a wider crunch culture at Rockstar, which the studio partly addresses afterward.
Review sourceFirst wave of fan speculation around a GTA VI setting and protagonists.
Fan forums and outlets speculate about a future GTA based on tax-credit filings and job listings; no official acknowledgement.
Review sourcePC version ships 18 months after console - precedent used to predict GTA VI PC timing.
GTA V's delayed PC launch in April 2015 establishes the console-first, PC-later pattern Rockstar would repeat with RDR2.
Review sourceUsed as an outer-bound PC prediction for GTA VI.
GTA V's 18-month console-to-PC gap is the outer bound cited by outlets predicting when GTA VI will reach PC.
Review sourceNext-gen console re-release extends GTA V lifecycle.
Rockstar launches GTA V on PS4 and Xbox One in November 2014, signalling that GTA Online - not a rapid sequel - is the studio's near-term focus.
Review sourceGrand Theft Auto V releases on PS3 and Xbox 360, setting records.
GTA V launches September 17, 2013. Its enormous commercial success and the long tail of GTA Online set the bar (and timeline) for GTA VI development.
Review sourceStudio context
Studio events are secondary context. They explain production history without pretending to reveal current game content.
Second delay announced.
Studio: Rockstar Games
Review sourceSecond trailer reveals protagonists' full names.
Studio: Rockstar Games
Review sourceFirst publicly announced delay.
Studio: Rockstar Games
Review sourceDebut trailer ships officially.
Studio: Rockstar Games
Review sourceSam Houser teases first trailer.
Studio: Rockstar Games
Review sourceUK court issues hospital order.
Studio: Rockstar Games
Review sourcePublic statement addresses leak.
Studio: Rockstar Games
Review sourceTeen hacker exfiltrates early footage.
Studio: Rockstar Games
Review sourceNewswire post confirms GTA VI is underway.
Studio: Rockstar Games
Review sourceRemaster launches to rough reception.
Studio: Rockstar Games / Grove Street Games
Review sourcePost-Rockstar venture takes legal shape.
Studio: Absurd Ventures (non-Rockstar)
Review sourceDhruva folded completely into Rockstar India.
Studio: Rockstar India
Review sourceScottish studio becomes Rockstar Dundee.
Studio: Rockstar Dundee
Review sourceSan Diego and Lincoln studio heads replaced.
Studio: Rockstar San Diego / Rockstar Lincoln
Review sourceKotaku reports significant Rockstar culture changes.
Studio: Rockstar Games
Review sourceLongtime writer/audio lead departs.
Studio: Rockstar Games
Review sourceCo-founder departs after extended break.
Studio: Rockstar Games
Review sourceTake-Two confirms co-founder's departure.
Studio: Rockstar Games
Review source