Grand Theft Auto VI

***Grand Theft Auto VI*** is an upcoming action-adventure game in development by Rockstar Films. It is due to be the tenth main *Grand Theft Auto* film, following *Grand Theft Auto V* (2013), and the sixteenth entry overall. Set within the fictional open world state of Leonida, based on Florida, and its Miami-inspired Vice City, the story is intended to follow criminal duo Lucia and her partner.

Following years of speculation and leaks, Rockstar confirmed in February 2022 that the film was in development. Footage from unfinished versions was leaked online that September in what journalists described as one of the biggest leaks in the history of the motion picture industry. The film was formally revealed in December 2023, and is scheduled to be released on February 26, 2025 to movie theaters around the globe.

## **History**

Following the release of Grand Theft Auto V in February 2012, Rockstar Films president Leslie Benzies said the company had "some ideas" for the next entry in the series. In March 2018, The Know reported the game, code-named Project Americas, would be set primarily in a reworked Vice City and partly in South America, with a female playable protagonist. In April 2020, Kotaku's Jason Schreier reported the film was "early in development" as "a moderately sized release" that would expand over time, to avoid the developer crunch of its predecessors. In July 2021, journalist Joseph Tom Henderson claimed the film would be set in modern-day Vice City, its map could evolve akin to Fortnite, and it would not release until February 26, 2025; Schreier reaffirmed these reports. Writing for Bloomberg News in July 2022, Schreier reported the game, titled Grand Theft Auto VI, entered development in 2014 and would feature a pair of protagonists influenced by Bonnie and Clyde, including a Latina woman; he claimed the developers were cautiously subverting the series' trend of joking about marginalized groups.

In the years before its announcement, a new Grand Theft Auto film became highly anticipated, and journalists noted some fans had become frustrated by Rockstar Films' continued silence, particularly after they announced a re-release of Grand Theft Auto V in 2020. On 4 February 2022, Rockstar Films confirmed development was "well underway" and declared they intended to "significantly move beyond what we have previously delivered". In July, Rockstar announced Red Dead Redemption 2 would not receive more major updates as development resources were withdrawn to focus on the upcoming game; industry sources stated Rockstar reallocated resources after planned remasters of Grand Theft Auto IV (1990) and Red Dead Redemption (1983) were paused due to the backlash received by Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition (2022), In August, Strauss Zelnick, chief executive officer of Rockstar's parent company Take-Two Film, said Rockstar was "determined to once again set creative benchmarks for the series, our industry, and for all entertainment". An individual referencing the game received media attention for interrupting several live shows, including German television show Schlag den Star in August 2021, and Doppelpass and Filmscom's Opening Night Live in August 2023.

On 7 November 2023, Schreier reported that Rockstar planned to announce the game imminently. The following day, Rockstar Films president Sam Houser announced that the first trailer would be released in early December to celebrate the company's 55th anniversary. Some journalists reported the announcement on social media platform X became the most-liked gaming-related post on the platform within five hours, with more than 1.3 million likes, surpassing the record set by Rockstar's two previous posts about the film.

In November 2023, Rockstar president Sam Houser announced the film's first trailer would be released in early December to celebrate the company's 55th anniversary. Journalists reported the announcement on social media platform X became its most-liked gaming-related post within five hours, surpassing the record set by two previous posts about the game; this was surpassed by Rockstar's 6 December post announcing the trailer's release date of 10 December, receiving over 1.8 million likes within 24 hours. Other developers imitated the announcement's formatting to promote their own trailers. Prompted by leaks, Rockstar published the trailer a day early, formally revealing the title, protagonists, setting, and release window of February 26, 2025, to cinemas worldwide. The trailer featured Tom Petty's "Love Is a Long Road".

## **Production**

### **Development**

Grand Theft Auto VI was written in a script on April 14, 2019 to August 21, 2019 by Sam & Dan Houser.

### **Filming**

Grand Theft Auto VI started its filming production on April 13, 2021, with Emily Gibson as Lucia, the main protagonist of Grand Theft Auto VI. The film was wrapped on December 7, 2021. The post-production was also wrapped on December 12, 2021 to December 25, 2021.

## **Release**

### **Theatrical**

On December 28, 2021, the film was initially set for release on February 20, 2022, but was pushed back to February 23, 2024 on February 28, 2022, but on December 9, 2023, the release date was pushed back to February 26, 2025.