Everything You Need To Know About Grand Theft Auto 6

Grand Theft Auto 6, the sixth proper installment in Rockstar Games’ long-running franchise, is shaping up to become the biggest launch in not only video games, but the entire entertainment industry. Even competitors like Call of Duty, Gears of Wars, and others are pushing their games up the calendar or delaying them to next year to avoid being buried under GTA’s gravitational pull. Like a collaboration between two iconic watch brands, GTA 6 has crossed the streams and infiltrated every corner of the internet, including your friends at Sole Retriever. As a public service, here’s a handy guide to help you get ready for the November launch.

What is Grand Theft Auto 6?

Grand Theft Auto 6 is the latest game in the billion-dollar Grand Theft Auto franchise. Developed by Rockstar Games, GTA is famous for its free-flowing gameplay, satirical takes on American culture, vast open worlds, and immersive soundtracks.

GTA 6 has been announced for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles. PC and Nintendo Switch 2 versions have not been announced, but if history is any indicator, a PC port will drop within 12 to 18 months after PS5 and Xbox, while a Switch 2 version is about as likely as anybody reading scoring a hot sneaker without using the Sole Retriever app.

Is there a trailer?

Yup, there are two. The first trailer dropped in late 2023, and the second was unveiled last year. There are rumors that a third trailer will be revealed sometime in July.

The highlight of the first trailer is the introduction of the game’s dual protagonists, Lucia (the first playable female character in GTA) and Jason. Vice City returns as part of the state of Leonida, which is based on the internet’s perception of Florida, from the neon-soaked analog of South Beach to the backwoods swamps where you’re just as likely to run into a gator as you are a half-naked man or woman running away from the police. Social media also appears to play a role in the game as various stunts are recorded for consumption on their version of TikTok and Instagram.

The second trailer digs deeper into Lucia and Jason’s relationship as a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde and their rise from rags to slightly better digs. Side characters and mission types are teased throughout the trailer, but how they actually play is unclear.

What is the game’s release date?

Grand Theft Auto is currently scheduled to release on November 19, 2026. After initially being scheduled for Fall 2025, the game was pushed back to May 26, 2026, before settling on the November date. While another delay is unlikely at this late stage, Rockstar will be optimizing the game right up until it becomes available for download.

Are preorders available?

Yes, preorders began on June 25th. You can preorder Standard ($80) and Ultimate ($100) editions of the game digitally now on both PlayStation and Xbox’s online storefronts. Preorders for a physical box of the game are also available at major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, GameStop, and Target. There is no Ultimate edition of the physical box.

It’s important to know that when people preorder the physical version, they will receive a game box that will look nice on a shelf, but there will be no disc in the box. Instead, the box will contain a download code that can be redeemed for the digital version of the game.

Why is there no disc in the physical edition?

Rockstar has not specifically said why there is no physical disc at launch, but speculation ranges from preventing early leaks to controlling the used game market. Rockstar has not confirmed a disc version will be released in the future. And with news that PlayStation will stop production of physical discs by 2028, the likelihood diminishes by the minute.

What is the incentive for preordering?

Preorders will allow people to preload the game to their console starting on November 12, one week before the game’s release. Physical box preorders will begin shipping on the 12th, so they can preload the game as well.

Preordering the game before November 20 will unlock access to the Vice City Vintage Pack that includes outfits and hairstyles for the game’s two protagonists, a ‘55 Vapid Stainer sedan and garage, and weapon skins inspired by the main character of GTA: Vice City, Tommy Vercetti, who was voiced by the late Ray Liotta.

A month of GTA+ is also included with every preorder. Benefits of GTA + include a $500,000 deposit into a GTA Online character’s bank account, special Shark Cards with a 15% bonus, access to free and discounted GTA Online vehicles, and access to the GTA+ Games Library that features a rotating selection of games in the Rockstar archive.

What is the difference between the Standard and Ultimate Editions?

Along with the preorder incentives, the Standard Edition is just the base GTA 6 game. The Ultimate Edition includes exclusive items, cosmetic options, and storefronts. Not every exclusive will be available at the start of the game, as they will only be unlocked through playing the game’s story mode.

Here is the list of what will be exclusive to Ultimate Edition owners:

Customization Hubs (will be visible in-game, but Standard Edition owners will be locked out)

Rideout Customs: car mod shop that offers interior detailing, custom rims, and donk styling

Sara's Unisex Salon: exclusive styles of facial hair, makeup, and nails for the protagonists

Stock 305: exclusive streetwear apparel for both main characters

Electric Fang Tattoo: over 50 signature tattoos designed by artist collective FAILE

One-Eyed Willie's: a mod shop dedicated to off-road and hand-painted automotive work

Exclusive Vehicles (unlocked through story missions)

'95 Grotti Cheetah (Sports Car)

Dinka Enduro (Motorcycle)

Crest Kayak (Watercraft)

‘67 Vapid Dominator Buggy (Off-Road)

Shitzu Squalo (Boat)

Exclusive Missions

PTT Youngin$ Illegal Goods Store: an exclusive raid found in the Southside of Vice City

Classic Car Collection: track down abandoned classic and project cars for a collector

Exclusive Cosmetic and Apparel Options

Vice City Style: exclusive outfits, tattoos, and accessories inspired by GTA: Vice City

Goodtime Gear: a capsule collection of apparel inspired by Macca the Gator

Ganado Retro Build: muscle-car mods

Exclusive Weapon Sets

Hawk & Little Morgan Revolvers: a pair of guns from the Verscetti Estate

Personalized Sidearms: engraved variants of the protagonists’ pistols

Is GTA Online included in GTA 6?

No, and it’s currently unknown when Rockstar will release the follow-up/expansion to the popular online mode that reportedly makes over one million dollars a day. That’s not a typo. Through purchasable Shark cards that convert into in-game currency, GTA Online earns Rockstar approximately one million dollars a day, while the GTA+ premium membership adds an additional $350,000 daily. While Rockstar will likely never confirm that GTA Online’s popularity and financial success allowed them to take their time in developing GTA 6, it is worth speculating if the game would have arrived earlier had GTA Online not taken off.

What’s the big deal with Grand Theft Auto?

When the first Grand Theft Auto came out in 1997, nobody could have predicted that DMA Design, the progenitor of Rockstar Games, was developing the biggest thing in gaming. After the first two games and a London spinoff were played from a top-down perspective, 2001’s Grand Theft Auto III made the transition to 3D open world gameplay and never looked back. With a story inspired by Hollywood films like Taxi Driver, Goodfellas, and Scarface, GTA 3, along with games like Metal Gear Solid and Halo: Combat Evolved, helped change the perception and audience of games who were looking for more mature content.

Before Rockstar would release GTA 4, the series took a pair of detours to the past, focusing on 1980s Miami (GTA: Vice City) and early 1990s California (GTA: San Andreas), expanding the scope and ambition with each new title. What began with a grunt with no name in GTA 3 would evolve into a fully realized character with true motivations and emotional resonance in San Andreas. And if you didn’t want to deal with any of the game’s multi-hour epic stories, you could always just wreak havoc around the city, building up your wanted level to six stars, and avoiding the police and eventually the army for as long as possible. By the end of the PlayStation 2 generation in the mid-2000s, Grand Theft Auto was the biggest franchise in gaming.

GTA 4, released on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, was actually a return to the roots of the series with a grimy storyline and a protagonist who was less charismatic than the leads of Vice City and San Andreas, but was ultimately more relatable as his problems were grounded in some sense of reality. GTA 4 also introduced an online multiplayer mode that would pave the way for GTA Online.

Throughout GTA’s run at the top, each game’s single-player component, whether it was the story mode or the wanton destruction that could kick off at any time, was the main selling point. The roles were reserved in GTA 5 as the game’s robust single-player mode is at times derisively referred to as a tutorial for the massive world of GTA Online. By releasing GTA 6 without whatever is next for GTA Online at launch, Rockstar is shifting the focus back to single player with the expectation that it will hold the attention of the audience until they finish whatever they might have planned for the next installment of GTA Online.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com