Rockstar put GTA 6 trailer live early after more leaks across social media, confirms 2025 release date

By Emma Roth, a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more. Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO.

Early in December, Rockstar Games ended years of restless anticipation when it finally officially unveiled Grand Theft Auto 6, and though the game is still a ways off from launch, excitement surrounding it is already at a fever pitch.

Even though its release is nearly two years away. Grand Theft Auto 6 or GTA 6 has already started shattering records. The GTA 6 trailer went live on December 4 and it amassed a staggering 93 million views in the first 24 hours, breaking the record for most views in the initial 24-hour period for a non-music video, overtaking the previous record of YouTuber Mr. Beast. While the trailer showcased the stunning world of GTA 6 and confirmed that the game will indeed be set in Vice City, not much information about the storyline was given away. However, the 1-minute 31-second clip was enough for eagle-eyed Rockstar Games fans to spot major details about the likely prologue mission of GTA 6. Know all about it.

If you were impressed by how good the first GTA 6 trailer looked, you were far from alone: even developers who previously worked at Rockstar were blown away by the level of detail shown.

Grand Theft Auto 6 or GTA 6 has already started shattering records even though the game's release is still two years away. Rockstar Games published the GTA 6 trailer on December 4 and it amassed a staggering 93 million views in the first 24 hours, breaking the record for most views in the initial 24-hour period for a non-music video. It overtook the previous record of YouTuber Mr. Beast whose “Every Country on Earth Fights for $250,000” video had 59.4 million views on the day it was released. Rockstar might have anticipated this hype considering that its previous Grand Theft Auto entry, GTA 5, is the second best-selling video game of all time. However, it seems that even this astronomical popularity isn't enough to convince billionaire Elon Musk to play GTA 5.

GTA 6 is already breaking records despite being at least a year away from release.

Here’s a bit of an understatement- there’s a fair bit of excitement surrounding Grand Theft Auto 6. The long-awaited open world behemoth was officially unveiled by Rockstar earlier this week (a day ahead of time, owing to unfortunate leaks), and within the first day, the reveal trailer had surpassed 96 million views on Rockstar’s official YouTube channel. And, unsurprisingly, that momentum has continued.

There was little doubt that the GTA VI trailer would do well in terms of viewership. Still, the debut video of Rockstar's massively anticipated new game surpassed even the rosiest expectations.

The Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer is finally out! After nearly a decade of waiting, Rockstar Games has finally released the GTA 6 trailer albeit in a manner it wouldn't have liked. On November 8, the Take-Two Interactive-owned publisher announced that the GTA 6 trailer would be released in early December. And just a few days ago, Rockstar Games set the GTA 6 trailer release date as December 5, 6:00 AM PT. To the company's dismay, the trailer was leaked online before Rockstar could release it. Now, we have a proper first glimpse into the world of GTA 6 (officially called GTA VI), and it confirms what leaks have suggested before.

According to Rockstar founder Sam Houser, GTA 6 "continues our efforts to push the limits of what's possible in highly immersive, story-driven open-world experiences". Broadcasting via Take-Two Interactive press release in the wake of yesterday's premature GTA 6 trailer release (I hope you didn't accidentally watch the cryptocurrency-branded version), Houser added that "we're thrilled to be able to share this new vision with players everywhere" when it launches in 2025. Except on PC. For the moment, anyway.

The wait is finally over, and perhaps a little prematurely so. Rockstar Games, the publisher of the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series, promised that they will release the first trailer of GTA 6 today, at 9 AM ET (7:30 PM IST). However, the trailer was leaked online a few hours ago. Once the news broke, Rockstar Games also released the game officially, much ahead of the schedule. The trailer, even when it was dropped unexpectedly, confirms many small details we have seen over the past year, such as the first female protagonist Lucia, and the Vice City setting. Additionally, the trailer also reveals the launch date, or more like the launch year of the game as well.

Rockstar has officially announced GTA VI but the official press release only mentions a 2025 launch for consoles and lacks any mention of the PC version.