Grand Theft Auto VI facts for kids
Grand Theft Auto VI is an exciting upcoming action-adventure game made by Rockstar Games. It's the eighth main game in the Grand Theft Auto series, following Grand Theft Auto V from 2013. This new game is set in a fictional U.S. state called Leonida, which is inspired by Florida. The story follows two main characters, Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, who get into a lot of trouble together. Players can explore Leonida's large open world, which includes Vice City, a city based on Miami.
After many years of people wondering about it, Rockstar confirmed in February 2022 that the game was being made. In September of that year, some early game footage was leaked online. This was a big event in the video game industry. The game was officially shown to the public in December 2023. It is planned to be released on May 26, 2026, for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles.
Quick facts for kids Grand Theft Auto VI |
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Artwork depicting Lucia and Jason
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| Developer(s) | Rockstar Games |
| Publisher(s) | Rockstar Games |
| Series | Grand Theft Auto |
| Engine | RAGE |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release date(s) | 26 May 2026 |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
Contents
Exploring the Game World and Characters
Grand Theft Auto VI is an action-adventure game that lets you explore a huge open world. The game's fictional state, Leonida, is based on Florida. It features places like Vice City (like Miami), Grassrivers (like the Everglades), and the Leonida Keys (like the Florida Keys). Other areas include Ambrosia, Mount Kalaga National Park, and Port Gellhorn.
The game world makes fun of American culture from the 2020s. It shows funny versions of social media and influencer culture. It also pokes fun at modern police methods and technology, like police body cameras. You might even spot references to popular internet memes, like "Florida Man."
The story follows a duo, Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos. Jason used to work for people involved in illegal trade in the Leonida Keys after being in the Army. Lucia is the first main female character in the Grand Theft Auto series that you must play as. She was in prison after protecting her family from Liberty City. After a bank robbery goes wrong, they find themselves caught in a big problem across the state and have to protect each other.
Other characters you might meet include:
- Cal Hampton: Jason's friend who worries a lot.
- Boobie Ike: A person who runs many businesses in Vice City.
- Dre'Quan Priest: He owns a record label called Only Raw Records with Boobie.
- Bae-Luxe and Roxy: A music duo signed to Only Raw, known as Real Dimez.
- Raul Bautista: An experienced bank robber.
- Brian Heder: Someone involved in illegal trade for a long time and Jason's landlord.
How the Game Was Made
Rockstar Games started thinking about Grand Theft Auto VI in 2014, right after Grand Theft Auto V came out. Serious work began in 2020. During its creation, the game was secretly called Project Americas.
Journalists reported that the game would be a "moderately sized release" that would grow over time. This was to help avoid long working hours for the developers. It was also said that the game would have two main characters, inspired by the famous duo Bonnie and Clyde. One of these characters would be a Latina woman. The game was also expected to have a big online mode, similar to Grand Theft Auto Online. Developers were careful to avoid making fun of certain groups of people, which the series had sometimes done before.
In 2018, it was reported that the game would mostly be set in Vice City and partly in South America. Later, in 2021, some thought the game's map might change and grow over time, like in Fortnite. The game uses the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine.
Many people were very excited about the game for years before it was officially announced. Some fans became frustrated because Rockstar stayed quiet for a long time. On February 4, 2022, Rockstar finally confirmed that the game was "well underway." In July 2022, Rockstar announced that another game, Red Dead Online, would not get many new updates. This was because they were moving their focus to Grand Theft Auto VI.
In February 2024, Rockstar asked its employees to come back to the office full-time from April. This was to help with "productivity and security" as the game was in its "final stages" of development. Some employees were worried this might affect their health and happiness. In March, it was reported that this decision was partly to avoid a delay, though the game was still on track for late 2025. However, in May 2025, Rockstar announced the game was delayed to May 26, 2026. Employees had expected this delay for months because there was still a lot of work to do.
Grand Theft Auto VI won "Most Wanted Game" at the Golden Joystick Awards and "Most Anticipated Game" at the Game Awards in 2024. The excitement for the game even led to an internet meme about things happening "before GTA 6". Many other game companies waited for Rockstar to announce a release date before scheduling their own games. Some hoped the game would sell for more than the usual price, but experts thought this was unlikely.
Experts predicted that Grand Theft Auto VI could help the video game market grow a lot. They thought it could sell 40 million copies and earn $3.2 billion in its first year. This would be double what Grand Theft Auto V earned in its first year, which was a record at the time. Rumors suggested the game's budget was very high, possibly making it the most expensive game ever made, but this was not confirmed.
Game Trailers and Promotion
In November 2023, Sam Houser, the president of Rockstar Games, announced that the first trailer for the game would be released in early December. This was to celebrate the company's 25th anniversary. The announcement on X (formerly Twitter) quickly became one of the most-liked gaming posts on the platform. Other game developers even copied the way Rockstar announced their trailer.
On December 4, a low-quality version of the trailer was leaked online. Because of this, Rockstar quickly released the official version on YouTube. This trailer showed the game's title, the main characters, the setting, and that it would be released in 2025 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S.
The first trailer broke records! It had 46 million views in just 12 hours, becoming the most-viewed non-music YouTube video in its first day. Within 24 hours, it had 93 million views and became the most-liked game trailer ever, with 8.9 million likes. It even got more views than Grand Theft Auto V's 2011 trailer in just two days. The song featured in the trailer, "Love Is a Long Road" by Tom Petty, became very popular again, with a huge increase in streams and searches. Fans also recreated the trailer in other video games and even in real life.
A second trailer was released on May 6, 2025. This trailer revealed the full names of the main characters. It featured songs like "Hot Together" by the Pointer Sisters, which also saw a big jump in popularity. Rockstar confirmed that the trailer was made from scenes and gameplay recorded on the PlayStation 5. This was to address some people's doubts about how good the graphics looked. Along with the trailer, the game's website was updated with 70 screenshots and details about characters and locations. This second trailer received over 475 million views in 24 hours across all platforms, setting a new record for video launches.
Information Leaks
On September 18, 2022, a user posted 90 videos online showing early, unfinished game footage. This footage was confirmed to be real by sources at Rockstar. The videos showed a modern-day Vice City setting, with tests of animations, gameplay, and character conversations. It also showed the player characters, Lucia and Jason, taking things from a diner without permission. The person who leaked the videos claimed to have downloaded the files directly from Rockstar's internal communication groups.
Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two, quickly worked to remove videos showing the leaks from YouTube and other websites. Journalists called this one of the biggest leaks in video game history. Some worried it could affect how Rockstar employees work from home. While some people online criticized the leaked footage for its quality, it's important to remember that it was from an unfinished version of the game and not how the final product would look. Many other game developers showed support for Rockstar, sharing their own early game footage to show that games often look rough during development.
On September 19, Rockstar confirmed the leak was due to a "network intrusion" and expressed sadness about how the game was first shown to the public. However, they did not expect long-term problems for the game's development. Take-Two's stock price dropped a bit at first but recovered after their statement. The authorities investigated the leak.
A 17-year-old boy was arrested in connection with the leak on September 22. He was believed to be connected to a group known for similar computer intrusions. He was accused of illegally accessing Rockstar's systems. Take-Two's CEO, Strauss Zelnick, said the incident made the companies more careful about cybersecurity and affected staff emotionally, but business continued as usual. Rockstar later stated that the incident cost the company $5 million and thousands of staff hours to fix.
On January 1, 2025, a photo and two videos of a PlayStation 5 development kit running the game were posted online. These were taken by someone who worked at Rockstar San Diego. While the post was later deleted, it didn't reveal much new information. Many people thought the opening of the second trailer in May 2025, where Jason says he's "just fixing some leaks," was a clever reference to these past leaks.
See also
In Spanish: Grand Theft Auto VI para niños
