The sixth game in the Grand Theft Auto series will be released in 2025, maker Rockstar has confirmed.
The much-anticipated game will see players return to the Miami-inspired location of Vice City, and will include its first female protagonist, Lucia, alongside an as-yet unnamed male lead character.
The video game publisher had been set to reveal the first trailer for the game later on Tuesday, but published it late last night after it was leaked online.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the firm said: "Our trailer has leaked so please watch the real thing on YouTube", alongside the 90-second first trailer for the game, which confirms the game will be released some time in 2025.
The trailer shows the beaches, waterways and central areas of Vice City, as well as surrounding swamps, suggesting players will have vast areas to explore.
Rockstar said Grand Theft Auto VI will be the biggest and most immersive game in the series yet, with some reports suggesting that around one billion dollars has been spent on its development.
The firm's founder, Sam Houser, said: "Grand Theft Auto VI continues our efforts to push the limits of what’s possible in highly immersive, story-driven, open-world experiences.
"We’re thrilled to be able to share this new vision with players everywhere."
Rumours and speculation about the next instalment in the series have circulated online for years – it has been 10 years since the last game in the series was released, and that remains one of the most popular title on sale, having sold more than 190 million copies worldwide, making it the second-bestselling video game of all time, behind only Minecraft.
Here are the key numbers connected with the record-breaking game.
3
Days that Grand Theft Auto V took to pass $1 billion in sales in 2013, with publisher Take-Two Interactive claiming it was the fastest-selling entertainment product in history.
4
Playable women characters in the series - and these were all in the first game in 1997.
There have been other attempts at women characters in spinoffs, limited editions and the online version.
But the game has been a man-led franchise, which explains why reports that GTA VI would revolve around a lead woman - confirmed by the trailer - set the internet alight.
75
Square kilometres of the map in GTA V, which is set in the fictional city of Los Santos and its surrounding areas.
The area is by far the biggest of the GTA series though dwarfed by other open-world video games.
90
Videos showing footage from the development phase of GTA VI that were stolen and leaked online during 2022.
The trailer for GTA VI was also leaked, forcing the studio to release it officially hours ahead of schedule.
861
Voice actors involved in the creation of GTA IV, far surpassing any other game, according to Guinness World Records 2009 edition.
The games have featured guest vocals from luminaries including Axl Rose, Samuel L Jackson and Ice-T.
4,000
Articles written about the game up to 2009, as logged by Guinness World Records.
The chronicler of records dubbed it the world's "Most Controversial Video Game Series" - a category that online commentators suggested had been dreamt up solely for GTA.
20 million
Units of GTA V sold in 2020, which the firm said was the biggest number of sales in any year since its 2013 release.
92 million
Views of the GTA V trailer on YouTube, reportedly the most watched trailer for an action game.
The GTA VI trailer looks on course to break further records, having been viewed 45 million times after just eight hours.
410 million
Units sold by the franchise since its launch in 1997.
GTA V has been the runaway success with the publisher claiming 190 million units sold up to September this year - making it the second best-selling game in history.
Source: AFP and Press Association
