Ahead of GTA 6’s Pre-Order, Release Date, & Trailer 2, Some Thoughts ► Ludology Now!

I can’t tell you how excited I am that GTA 6 might release this year. I say might, despite Take-Two insisting GTA 6 will launch in 2025, because it would be entirely on brand for Rockstar to delay the project at any point from now until it is in players’ hands. That would be disappointing, surely, but not in any way surprising. GTA 6 pre-orders are not yet live, and there has been no hint of an official Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 2 announcement.

Until then, and until we get any other definitive statements to the contrary, I will remain hopeful. It’s been eleven years since Grand Theft Auto V came out, ten years since I played the first iteration of GTA Online using my PS3. IT’S BEEN SINCE THE PLAYSTATION 3, FOLKS, THAT WE’VE HAD A NEW GTA GAME! THINK ABOUT THAT! THINK ABOUT HOW OLD THAT MAKES YOU! WHAT THE F- [Editor’s Note: Excessive profanity removed]

A Brief History Of New GTA Game Rumors

I remember the wait between the releases of Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City, and San Andreas like they were yesterdays. Checking GTAForums every single day for any new information from magazines around the world, participating in the gang roleplay forums (because I was clearly very cool), and chatting with other fans about their expectations and wishes for the next title. We had no idea what was coming, so we imagined everything.

Like the rumors ahead of GTA 6’s release, when we were waiting on Vice City anything was possible. Some people were adamant Rockstar was adding a fuel system and usable gas stations. Others expected full-on roleplay abilities, thanks to a promo image of Tommy in a mechanic’s jumpsuit, or the ability to play with friends. Most people hoped for more interior locations. Some of these guesses came true, some wouldn’t materialize until San Andreas, and some (like a fuel system and full-on roleplay) players like me are still waiting on. Speaking of—

Features My Dream GTA 6 Launch Copy Will Include

As you may imagine, I’ve had quite a bit of time to think of features I want to see in GTA 6. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

Working gas stations and a fuel system
More explorable interiors
Less restrictions during missions (i.e. let me solve problems in creative ways, not just the way the developers want this one mission to go)
Useable Skateboards
Useable Roller skates
More business-specific jobs and missions, kind of like how Vice City did with the Ice Cream Shoppe and the Print Works
Lots of hidden little callbacks to Vice City overall
Fanboats (Confirmed in the first GTA 6 trailer, embedded below)
A string of missions set inside a prison
The return of San Andreas’ burglary missions
The return of San Andreas’ body weight mechanics
The return of San Andreas’ working casinos
The return of GTA 4’s police computer system
The return of old school Paramedic, Firefighter, Taxi, and Vigilante vehicle missions, as well as new ones.
A better map than GTA 5
More options for roleplaying a character just living in the world
Pets of all kinds
People of all ages
A wanted system that actually sends you to jail if you get busted
The ability to break out of jail if that does happen
The ability to actually go to court if you don’t
The ability to get sentenced to things like prison time or community service
Enforced speed limits
Enforced traffic laws
More realistic NPC day/night cycles
Fishing (why not, we’re in Florida)
An “insurance” system like in GTA Online, so the player can save customizable vehicles even if they get destroyed or forgotten during missions or free play
More customizable car customization
More useable public transit

I mean, it’ll have been 12 years between the launch of GTA 5 and GTA 6’s release date, if it happens this year. Surely some of these things will make it in, right?

On All Those “GTA 6 Map Compared To GTA 5” Posts

Look, yes, a bigger map for GTA 6 would be cool. The Red Dead Redemption 2 map was huge and it made the game feel epic because of that. However, bigger maps do not a better game make. If the buildings, roads, topography, and flora that make up that map are not interesting, it’s just empty space.

When I see those fake GTA 6 maps recreated from leaks and hopes and dreams, I shudder a little. The GTA 5 map was big enough. I don’t want to spend twenty minutes just driving from one mission to another if there’s nothing worth looking at on the way. I want GTA 6’s map to be denser than GTA 5’s map, not bigger.

What Controversy Will Surround GTA This Time?

Every Grand Theft Auto game seems to come with its own flavor of controversy. San Andreas had the discovery of the “Hot Coffee” scene in the game files. GTA 4 put Hillary Clinton on the Statue of Liberty. GTA 5 had Trevor’s torture scene and, well, just Trevor in general. The launch state of the GTA Definitive Editions feels applicable here as well. What will GTA 6’s controversy be?

It’s impossible to say at this time, but I know there will be one. Whether it will be warranted or not is another matter and will depend entirely on what exactly the controversy is. The Grand Theft Auto franchise has been on the end of both deserved and undeserved ire over the years, and until GTA 6 is in our hands none of us have any idea which this new entry will bring. I feel (sadly) confident in saying, however, that there will be one.

The Death of The GTA 6 SEO Machine

For 11 years companies have been able to print money by writing articles about GTA 6’s release date, fake GTA 6 trailer hints “hidden” in GTA Online, GTA 6 wishlists, predictions, rumors, fake leaks, fan art, and everything in-between. Trust me — back in 2020, 2021, you couldn’t write an article about GTA 6 without it getting at least 10,000-20,000 views. It’s slowed in recent years, thanks to both actual news from Rockstar and Google’s determined self-enshittification, but once the game actually releases that well will begin to fully dry.

This is a good thing, and I will use an analogy to explain why, for funsies. At one point in your life, you may have joined a subreddit for a television show you were currently watching. Eventually, after a year or two or ten, that TV show went off the air, but the subreddit remained. Slowly, over time, that subreddit begins to form its own culture, its own memes, its own theories. It’s like watching an ouroboros begin to form, and suddenly it’s r/breakingbad ten years later, nothing but posts like “WHY DIDN’T WALT BUY BREAKFAST, IS HE STUPID??” as far as the finger can scroll. This is the current state of the GTA 6 community, but they don’t even have a show to rewatch yet.

GTA 6 Pre-Order Predictions

A woman sitting high in a convertible in GTA 6

Bit of a hypocritical thing, maybe, to do my own GTA 6 pre-order prediction after deriding others for doing the same. Feeding off the starved fans desperately googling “GTA 6 pre-order” every day, hoping against hope today will be the day the news dropped and they just happened to miss it. I feel bad for people waiting with breath that bated. For what it’s worth, the GTA 6 pre-orders will almost certainly open once the next trailer drops.

So when is GTA 6 Trailer 2 coming then? That’s harder to say. Something inside me says June 2025 would be a good time, long enough from now to ensure everything is ready for a September, October, or November launch while still giving them enough time for polishing. If GTA 6’s release date is still in 2025, June feels best. However, if GTA 6’s release date does end up slipping, then all bets are off.

Is A 2025 GTA 6 Release Date Realistic?

A group of people on motorbikes and ATVs in GTA 6

Imagine the influx of money that will pour into Rockstar and Take-Two the moment they announce GTA 6 pre-orders are open. We’re likely talking millions, if not hundreds of millions, months ahead of when the game will actually be out. Remember, the first GTA 6 trailer has over 245 million views. With that in mind, you would think that GTA 6 pre-orders should be coming soon, right? Wouldn’t you want that extra money to fuel your upcoming marketing push leading up to launch?

If we’ve made it to July and there’s no GTA 6 Trailer 2, no release date, and no GTA 6 pre-orders, it is highly likely that GTA 6 will not release in 2025. Sure, Rockstar could drop a trailer in September with a release date in December, but that doesn’t line up with their normal timeline. Not that anything Rockstar does related to GTA is predictable— let’s not forget this is the company which announced GTA 4 with an arm tattoo at a Microsoft conference.

Some Real GTA 6 Facts

There’s a lot of false assumptions surrounding GTA 6, so let’s lay down some concrete, indisputable facts. First, the game will release at some point between now and December 31, 2027. Second, GTA 6 will launch for the PS5 and Xbox Series S/X consoles first. Third, GTA 6 will never appear on the Nintendo Switch.

Other than that, and until we get more official information, there’s little else that can be said with 100% confidence. I’m looking forward to GTA 6’s Trailer 2. I’m looking forward to its release date. I don’t usually pre-order games these days, but I will pre-order GTA 6 because I am confident the money will be well-spent. I just hope I get to do that soon. Until then, until the next GTA 6 trailer drops, I don’t see the point of talking about it any more than this.