Rockstar Games confirmed on Thursday that pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI will officially open on June 25, ending seven months of relative silence on the most anticipated video game release in history. The announcement arrived through a 33-second video on social media unveiling the game’s official cover art alongside a refreshed look at a modernized Vice City.
“Pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI will officially begin on June 25 on digital storefronts and at other select retailers,” Rockstar said in its announcement, directing players to add the game to their wishlist on the PlayStation Store or Microsoft Store to get notified once pre-orders go live.
The cover art follows the franchise’s familiar collage style, placing protagonists Jason and Lucia at the center against a pastel Vice City skyline. Supporting details include a helicopter fitted with a mounted minigun, a motorcycle mid-wheelie, a speed boat, sports cars, and an alligator sitting calmly in the frame, alongside supporting cast members including Boobie Ike, a real estate mogul and club owner previously confirmed for the game. Rockstar also refreshed the official GTA 6 website with a new golden-hour skyline image showing container ships, lit skyscrapers, and a glowing waterfront Ferris wheel, reinforcing Vice City’s South Florida-inspired identity.
The game remains scheduled for November 19, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, a date that has survived two prior delays from its original Fall 2025 window. A PC version is not expected at launch and will likely arrive later, possibly in 2027. Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick had signaled after the company’s May 21 earnings call that marketing would intensify heading into summer, a timeline this announcement now confirms.
Rockstar has not yet revealed pricing and edition details, and no new gameplay trailer accompanied Thursday’s announcement, a departure from the marketing pattern Rockstar followed with Grand Theft Auto V, where new footage typically paired with major pre-order milestones. Analysts widely see Rockstar’s decision to open pre-orders roughly five months ahead of launch as the clearest signal yet that the studio intends to hold its November date after years of fan speculation and shifting timelines.
Meanwhile, check out the video they released for the announcement:
