Fact Check: Is GTA 6 coming out in 2023?

Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 6 is among the most highly anticipated games of all time. For a while, many entertained the possibility that we may see Rockstar Games' next title launching in 2023. However, we have made it almost halfway through the year without any official teasers, announcements, or reveals, so the chances are bleak.

Most of the information available about the popular action-adventure franchise's next entry stems from data miners and leaks. We don't have any official confirmation from the publisher, so the reports should be taken with a grain of salt. That said, multiple reliable leakers have put forward a timeline for the game's release.

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GTA 6 will most likely not release in 2023

Reputed leakers and reliable insiders have asserted that the release date for GTA 6 will most likely be around late 2024 or early 2025. Tez2, a prominent data miner, suggests that the highly anticipated sequel could release during Holiday 2024. The developers haven't provided any official confirmation, but the community trusts Tez2 courtesy of the leaker's accurate Grand Theft Auto Online reports in the past.

Take-Two Interactive Software, Rockstar Games' parent company, has also given a reason for players to believe in the 2024 to 2025 release window. On May 17, 2023, they reportedly held an earnings call where they announced an anticipated $8Bn via Net-Bookings in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. They provided no justifications, but some believe that the expected reveue could be linked to GTA 6's release.

A fiscal year is quite different from a calender year. FY25 should run from the latter half of 2024 to the first few months of 2025. We can thus expect the sequel about a year and a half to two years from now.

Good news is that Tez2 believes we could be getting an official tease in 2023, close to GTA Online's 10th anniversary. Rockstar has used the popular game before to tease Red Dead Redemption 2 and could drop hints for their upcoming title in a similar fashion.

Additionally, a letter allegedly sent by Take-Two's Channel Marketing Director, Paul Swiderski, to The Guild Downtown (a Miami-based hotel) recently got leaked. It proposed promotional plans for Rockstar Games' upcoming AAA title, which are to be implemented in the latter half of summer.

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Grand Theft Auto 6 may be officially revealed in 2023 but will most likely not be released. There is a chance that the game will be limited to PC and next-gen consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.