‘GTA 6’ Release Date Window, Leaks, Possible Map Size, Rating, and Everything We Know About the Open-World Game

The recently reported on a post from the r/GamingLeaksandRumors subreddit noting that GTA 6 was actually rated by the Australian classification board in April 2023. While ratings sometimes indicate imminent release dates, this one appears to be only a placeholder. As IGN notes, the classification board’s website lists GTA 6 with an MA15+ rating (roughly the equivalent of the ESRB’s T), whereas previous games in the series were rated MA18+.

Which GTA 6 release date information should you trust?

It is tough to make any assessment about GTA 6‘s stage in development without official word from Rockstar, but Schreier has covered the working conditions of major game companies for years.

He’s built relationships with the industry’s biggest players, and his reporting consistently , which suggests players won’t have to eat, sleep, and bathe. But elements of immersive realism were still said to affect the digital world. Cars will reportedly function exactly like horses in Red Dead Redemption 2, so say goodbye to pulling a rocket launcher out of thin air.

Players will carry their weapons in the trunk of their car when they’re in city areas or risk being seen on the street with an AK-47 strapped to their back. But they could be free to pack more heat when they’re in rural areas of the game.

One clip from the September 2022 leak shows the player switching their active weapon to their offhand so they can pick up a new rifle from the ground, which may support the idea of a more limited weapon inventory.

Combat looks to be a little more nuanced than in previous Grand Theft Auto games. The player in the leaked footage is seen crouching, taking cover, and even carrying an NPC, so there will likely be more interaction with the environment this time around.

Players may also be able to build their narcotics empire similarly to the “Crew” system in GTA Online. They’ll need to complete key tasks across a massive map to amass power and turf.

Jason Schreier reported GTA 6 will have more interior locations than earlier Grand Theft Auto games, which could significantly change how the open-world sandbox feels. The latest leak suggests this is true, too. We see playable characters inside multiple buildings in the footage, and one clip shows a car interior in more detail than you’d expect from previous Grand Theft Auto games.

A Rockstar VFX job description from 2021 called for someone to create “large-scale destruction events like skyscrapers crashing into the ground.” That could be tied to the reported way the GTA 6 map will change over time, or it may signal that players’ actions could reshape the city. None of this was showcased in the September 2022 leak.

In October 2023, the French publication Rockstar Mag claimed that Rockstar’s RAGE engine — also used for Red Dead Redemption 2 — is being revamped for GTA 6. The report claims that updates to the engine’s physics will make both GTA 6’s car crashes and dynamic weather more realistic. Deformation effects on cars will reportedly be more detailed, and severe weather will affect objects in the environment and even make it harder to drive.

Rockstar Mag also says that GTA 6 will represent a larger graphical leap than previous games from the developer, particularly when it comes to the quality of lighting. Keep in mind that these reports are unverified so they may not represent what actually appears in GTA 6.

Previous versions of this article were written by Danny Paez and Giovanni Colantonio.