A new GTA Online Weekly Update is live, and it is the last one before GTA 6 launches on November 19th. Rockstar has rotated much of the game's content for the week and attached some hefty bonuses. The event week runs from November 12th through November 18th.

Kortz Center Heist gets new Primary Targets

The headline change is the Kortz Center Heist, which receives a fresh set of Primary Targets: In Excess of Success, What are Melons? and Breathless. The first-completion bonus resets for the week, and players who finish the heist without dying earn an extra GTA$400,000.

Bonuses

• 4x GTA$ and RP on Freemode Challenges

• 3x GTA$ and RP on Stunt Race Series

• 3x GTA$ and RP on Community Series

• 2x GTA$ and RP on all Contact Missions (4x for GTA+ members through December 2nd)

• 2x GTA$ and RP on Sumo (Remix)

The Weekly Challenge asks players to win two Stunt Races for GTA$100,000.

FIB Priority File

This week's FIB Priority File is The Brute Force File, and Priority Files pay double.

Salvage Yard Robberies

• The Gangbanger Robbery: Canis Seminole Frontier

• The McTony Robbery: Karin Hotring Everon

• The Cargo Ship Robbery: Grotti Stinger TT

Casino Podium Vehicle and Prize Ride

The Casino's Lucky Wheel podium vehicle is the Karin Everon, which retails for GTA$1,475,000 at Southern San Andreas Super Autos. GTA+ members now get two spins every 24 hours.

For the Prize Ride, players need to place in the top four in an LS Car Meet race on two consecutive days to unlock the Western Powersurge. It costs GTA$1,605,000 at Legendary Motorsport.

Test rides, test track and showrooms

• Hao Premium Test Ride: Weeny Issi Rally (PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC Enhanced)

• Test Track: Übermacht Rebla GTS, Declasse Impaler LX and Obey I-Wagen

• Luxury Autos (Rockford Hills): Declasse Tampa GT and Pfister Astrale

• Premium Deluxe Motorsport: Declasse Hotring Sabre, Karin Vivanite, Obey Tailgater S, Declasse Tahoma Coupe and Canis Castigator

Discounts: 30% off

• Canis Castigator

• Declasse Hotring Sabre

• Declasse Impaler LX

• Declasse Tahoma Coupe

• Dewbauchee Vagner

• Karin Vivanite

• MTL Wastelander

• Obey I-Wagen

• Obey Tailgater S

• Übermacht Rebla GTS

Gun Van

Weapons: Stun Gun (10% off, 20% for GTA+), Up-n-Atomizer (10%, 20% GTA+), Tactical SMG (40%, 40% GTA+), Combat Shotgun (10%, 40% GTA+). The Knife and Baseball Bat are free.

Throwables: Sticky Bombs, Proximity Mines and Molotovs are each 10% off, or 20% for GTA+ members.

Body Armor: All five tiers, from Super Light to Super Heavy, are 10% off, or 80% off for GTA+ members.

Races and time trials

• Premium Race: Down the Drain

• HSW Time Trial: Sandy Shores

• Time Trial: Calafia Way

With GTA 6 arriving November 19th, this is the final full week of GTA Online's current weekly rotation before Rockstar's next chapter begins.

With launch just over a week away, Rockstar Games has let another piece of Vice City slip out, and this one fooled plenty of people into thinking they were watching real life.

A Miami-focused Instagram account called Only In Dade posted a short in-game clip from Grand Theft Auto VI to its story on Wednesday night. The account is known for covering the quirkier side of Miami-Dade County. After roughly an hour of fans debating on social media whether the video was authentic, Rockstar settled it by reposting the clip to its own Instagram story.

What's in the clip

The 20-second video runs over "Sexy Magic," a track from Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album by CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso, PinkPantheress, Fred again.. and Étienne de Crécy. It opens on a slow cruise through sunlit Vice City streets, shot from the back seat of a car.

Then comes the twist. The camera cuts to the reverse angle, where a pedestrian is filming the car as it rolls past. Look closely and the people holding both phones are Jason and Lucia, with Jason in the back of the car and Lucia standing beside a tree. It is a neat way to show off the game's protagonists without a single line of dialogue.

A real Miami moment, rebuilt in-engine

The clip does more than look good. It recreates a real Rockstar marketing stunt with West Coast Customs in Miami last month, matching the real-life footage shot for shot, including the lighting, reflections and crowd details. Part of the car's appearance and its in-game camera framing made many viewers assume it was genuine Miami footage. Among the customized vehicles on show is a pink-and-teal camo sports car.

That blurring of real and virtual is clearly the point. The Only In Dade caption carried an #OnlyinViceCity tag, and Rockstar's decision to amplify it suggests the studio is happy to keep playing in the space between Miami and Vice City as launch approaches.

Fidelity, and the frame rate question

Praising GTA VI's visuals is almost a reflex by now, but this clip stands out for its fidelity and the sheer number of NPCs on screen, which arguably helps explain the 30 FPS target Rockstar announced a day earlier. It is worth keeping perspective, though: the footage offers no fresh technical details on console performance, resolution or graphics settings. This is a vibe check, not a spec sheet.

What's next

GTA VI launches November 19 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and digital pre-order holders can already pre-load. If this is what a casual, near-throwaway Instagram story looks like, expect the final week of the countdown to be loud.

Eight days before launch, another GTA VI interview is giving players a closer look at how Rockstar's Vice City behaves moment to moment.

An excerpt from The Guardian's upcoming interview with Rockstar North's Rob Nelson was published early through the outlet's "Pushing Buttons" newsletter. It describes a hands-on demo in which Nelson walked the writer through the small touches in Jason's animation set. The full piece is due Saturday, November 14, and it's unclear whether it will sit behind a paywall.

Eating, drinking and running

Nelson reportedly took clear delight in showing off how Jason eats a hot dog. While walking around a gas station, Jason can bite into a donut in one hand while sipping a beer with the other. When he breaks into a run carrying a six-pack, he tucks it into the crook of his arm, and the liquid in the bottles sloshes around as he moves.

These details follow the survival-style systems Rockstar has already confirmed, including fitness, sleep and eating. They fit the studio's stated aim of making Leonida feel lived in rather than scripted.

A jewelry store stickup, and a guard's foot

The excerpt also describes a jewelry store robbery in Vice City. According to the writer, Nelson was briefly bothered by how one of the security guards' feet were positioned, a small sign of how closely the team scrutinizes even minor animation work. The Guardian's verdict was that the level of detail is "out of reach for any other game developer," crediting Rockstar's money, time and patient publisher.

Part of a larger picture

The excerpt lands after a run of detailed previews. Edge's issue 430 described roughly 90 minutes of PS5 gameplay and reported a map about twice the size of GTA V's, working bus and train networks, longer day and night cycles and dynamic weather. IGN's full Nelson interview covered RDR2-style safehouses, a police system that tracks what you're wearing, gated car theft and a partner who can drive while you shoot.

Taken together, the Guardian snippet is less about new systems than about polish. Rockstar appears to be spending its final weeks on feel and believability.

When can you play it?

Grand Theft Auto VI launches November 19 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Pre-loading is already live, so players can have the game ready before launch day.

Stay tuned for more once the full Guardian interview goes live this weekend.

Grand Theft Auto VI hasn't launched yet, but it's already breaking records. Pre-loading opened on Tuesday, and the rush of fans downloading the game's enormous install pushed British broadband networks to new highs.

Record-breaking first hour

According to Virgin Media O2, pre-load day produced the biggest traffic peak and the highest daily data volume in the network's history. In the first hour pre-loading was available, between 12am and 1am on Tuesday 10th November, broadband traffic was up 51.6% on the same hour the previous week.

The surge continued through the morning. By 9am, the total volume of data downloaded was 73.3% higher than at the same point on Tuesday 3rd November.

Beating football and Fortnite

The numbers also top some major events. The company's previous evening peak-period traffic record was set during Arsenal's Champions League match against Atlético Madrid. GTA VI downloads exceeded it by 3.8%.

Total daily data volume also edged past the previous record, set by the release of Fortnite's Chapter 7 Mini Season on 1st November, by 4%. By 11:05pm, the data downloaded on pre-load day had already passed the record for an entire day, meaning the final tally for the day will be higher still.

YouFibre reports congestion

Not every provider handled the demand smoothly. YouFibre CEO Jeremy Chelot said on X that GTA VI traffic was causing problems with one of the company's broadband network gateways (BNGs). Customers around Yorkshire were hit by congestion while the team worked to rebalance traffic, and Chelot asked users to "bear with us."

What's next

With the game's size and demand, these figures may not be the last records to fall. Virgin Media O2 is also offering a pay-monthly plan for the game at under 5p a day. Grand Theft Auto VI is only days away, and Rockstar has confirmed it will run at 30FPS on all platforms. Xbox has also signed a 10-year agreement with Take-Two for cloud streaming of GTA VI.

Xbox has a new long-term partner in Take-Two Interactive, and Grand Theft Auto VI is the first beneficiary. Xbox CEO Asha Sharma announced the 10-year agreement on November 10, nine days before the game's release.

Sharma wrote that the day marked "the first step in our new 10-year strategic partnership with Take-Two." She said GTA VI will be playable on Xbox One through cloud gaming at launch, and that it is already the most pre-ordered game in Microsoft Store history.

What's confirmed for GTA 6

Rockstar has confirmed streaming begins November 19 at 1 a.m. ET, the same day the game launches on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game will stream on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S using Xbox Series S graphics settings. That means players stuck on last-generation hardware can join launch day without buying a new console, and anyone on a current Xbox can skip the pre-load, which Rockstar lists at up to 212 GB.

No PC or mobile streaming

The deal is narrower than Xbox Cloud Gaming's usual reach. Windows PCs, smartphones, tablets and smart TVs are excluded from the GTA VI streaming rollout. That matches what Xbox chief strategy officer Matthew Ball said in October, when he told reporters the game "will not be streaming exclusively or to PC." The comment came after The Verge reported Xbox had secured exclusive streaming rights, a report that was later corrected.

More Rockstar games coming

GTA VI is not the only Rockstar title headed to the service. Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2 will join Xbox Cloud Gaming in the coming months, with more Rockstar games planned.

The paperwork behind it

The announcement follows a filing with the SEC. Take-Two and Microsoft entered into a new long-term Xbox Publisher License Agreement on September 28, 2026, effective September 17, covering the right to develop, publish, distribute and sell Xbox-compatible products on all Xbox devices. It replaces all of Take-Two's existing Xbox publisher agreements. Neither company has published the financial terms or said what else the 10-year partnership covers beyond cloud access.

Why it matters

The timing is striking. Take-Two expects as much as $3.5 billion from the GTA 6 launch period and projects $8 billion to $8.2 billion in net bookings for fiscal 2027. Putting the game on Xbox's cloud service widens the pool of players who can reach it on day one, while keeping it off PC and phones leaves room for a separate PC release.

Whether the arrangement is exclusive to Xbox's cloud remains murky. Coverage so far describes it as non-exclusive at the platform level, and Sony has made no matching announcement.

Grand Theft Auto VI has officially become the most pre-ordered game ever on both PlayStation and Xbox, according to statements from the platform holders themselves. With launch nine days away, the milestone is the clearest sign yet of how big this release is going to be.

Records on both platforms

In a blog post published Tuesday, PlayStation stated that GTA VI is "the most pre-ordered game in the history of PlayStation Store." Xbox CEO Asha Sharma made a matching claim on X, saying the game is already the most pre-ordered title ever on the Microsoft Store, more than a week before release.

The two companies worded their announcements differently, but the message is the same: no game has ever drawn this many advance purchases on either storefront.

Sony's warning: pre-load now

Sony's post came with advice for players. Because of the anticipation around the game, PlayStation strongly recommends that anyone who wants to play on launch day pre-load it as soon as possible.

The reasoning is practical. Millions of players downloading the game and logging in at once on November 19 could slow PlayStation's servers. The more people who install the game beforehand, the less strain on the network when the game unlocks, and the lower the chance of an outage at launch.

How to pre-load

Pre-loading opened on November 10. On PS5 it began at midnight local time, while Xbox Series X|S players could start from 12 a.m. GMT. A few things to know:

• Storage: Plan for around 212 GB of free space on PS5.

• Eligibility: You need a digital pre-order, or a redeemed code from a physical code-in-box copy. Those boxed copies contain a download code instead of a disc and are expected at retailers from November 12.

• No early play: Pre-loading only gets the files onto your console. The game still unlocks at midnight local time on November 19 in all regions.

• Auto-download: On PS5, enable auto-download for your pre-order in Game Library and leave the console on or in Rest Mode with internet access.

The bigger picture

The announcement follows Take-Two's description of GTA VI's pre-orders as "unprecedented" for the company. Rockstar and Take-Two haven't published an official pre-order count, but third-party estimates point to enormous numbers. Sensor Tower's tracker, which covers digital sales only, put pre-orders at roughly 7.71 million and about $751 million as of early November. That is just shy of the 8 million-plus pre-orders reported for Cyberpunk 2077, the benchmark often cited for the biggest pre-order total on record. Another report claimed around 10 million copies and nearly $1 billion. These are estimates, not audited figures.

Earlier tracking also showed PlayStation taking roughly three-quarters of digital pre-orders, though Xbox has consistently pushed back on how those splits are read, saying it has seen record orders of its own.

Whatever the final number turns out to be, the takeaway for players is simple: if you've pre-ordered, start the download now rather than on launch night.

The frame rate debate is over. In a Rockstar Games Newswire post tied to the start of pre-loading, the studio confirmed that Grand Theft Auto VI will run at 30 frames per second on PlayStation 5, PS5 Pro, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. There is no 60 FPS performance mode on any of them.

Rockstar's Explanation

Rockstar says the game was built from the ground up for current-generation hardware, with the team "targeting 30 frames per second" while pushing both platforms to their limits. The studio's stated goal is to keep the density and visual fidelity of Leonida's environments and inhabitants intact, which suggests the team prioritized world detail over a faster frame rate.

That's a blow to anyone who hoped the PS5 Pro would be the console that unlocked 60 FPS. The mid-gen hardware gets no frame rate advantage.

What the PS5 Pro Does Get

Rockstar did confirm two PS5 Pro-exclusive upgrades. The console will use PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) for a sharper, cleaner image, and it will also support ray-traced shadows that other consoles won't have. Both fit with pre-load data that surfaced a day earlier and hinted at Pro-specific enhancements.

Xbox Cloud Gaming and Remote Play

Rockstar also detailed how the game will work on other platforms:

• Xbox Cloud Gaming: GTA VI will be playable through the cloud on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One consoles, which gives last-gen owners a way in.

• Streaming quality: Cloud sessions will use the Xbox Series S graphics settings, not Series X.

• Remote Play: The game will fully support Remote Play on both Xbox Series X and PS5.

What Comes Next

The news arrives as pre-loading rolls out ahead of the November 19 launch. Rockstar's pre-load FAQ lists a download of up to 212 GB depending on the device. Pre-order estimates have the game at around $1 billion before launch, and its platform plans are now clear: one frame rate target, a few extras for PS5 Pro owners, and a cloud option for Xbox players.

Grand Theft Auto VI may have already become the most pre-ordered video game ever made. A fresh sales estimate from Sensor Tower puts the game at close to 10 million pre-orders, with launch only days away.

The report lands one day after Take-Two described the game's pre-order numbers as "unprecedented." Sensor Tower's tracker now backs up that language with hard figures.

A sharp acceleration

The most striking detail is the pace. Sensor Tower estimates about 1.98 million pre-orders came in over the past week alone, a huge jump from the increases of a few hundred thousand that earlier weeks had seen.

That lifts GTA 6 past the previous benchmark, the 8 million pre-orders Cyberpunk 2077 reportedly collected, according to figures published by GamesIndustry.biz. It's worth keeping some context in mind, though. CD Projekt Red's game had a pre-order window roughly a year longer, and it launched on PC from day one, which gave it access to a large PC audience. GTA 6 is arriving only on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Nearly $1 billion in revenue

At close to 10 million copies, Sensor Tower estimates Rockstar has already taken in about $942 million. About $191 million of that came in the last week.

For scale, that figure is already above the $800 million GTA V made in its first 24 hours on sale, the record that has stood since 2013. Pre-orders are not the same thing as launch-day sales, and this number is an estimate rather than anything Rockstar or Take-Two has confirmed.

PlayStation holds a commanding lead

The platform split continues to favor Sony. Of the roughly 1.98 million pre-orders placed last week, about 1.49 million were for PS5 and 490,000 were for Xbox. Xbox's overall share of pre-orders slipped by one percentage point this week, after gaining a point a few weeks earlier.

The biggest week is still ahead

If history is any guide, these numbers could climb further. Other data firms say the final week before launch is usually the biggest for pre-orders, which suggests this week's total could top the last one. Sensor Tower's updated figures are expected early next week.

GTA 6 launches on November 19, and pre-loading is already rolling out on both consoles. We'll be following the numbers closely as launch day approaches.

Take-Two Interactive says pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI have reached a level the games industry hasn't seen before, and it's promising hard numbers soon.

With Grand Theft Auto VI ten days from release on November 19, Rockstar Games' parent company used its latest earnings report to make clear that demand is running well beyond what it planned for. No pre-order total has been shared yet, but the company suggests one is on the way.

What Take-Two Said

Take-Two reported its fiscal Q2 2027 results to investors on Monday, followed by a call hosted by CEO Strauss Zelnick. Zelnick said in his prepared remarks that GTA VI pre-orders keep climbing to "unprecedented levels." He tied that directly to the company's expectation of an historic fiscal year.

The guidance presentation was just as bullish. It said pre-orders are tracking well ahead of Take-Two's initial expectations, and it added that the company believes the figures will "speak for themselves" before long. That reads as a clear signal that Take-Two intends to announce a headline pre-order number soon.

Financial Outlook Holds at $8 Billion-Plus

Take-Two also reiterated its fiscal 2027 net bookings outlook of $8 billion to $8.2 billion, unchanged from last quarter. The company said part of that confidence comes from strong sales of the GTA VI Ultimate Edition, a sign that many buyers are going for the premium version rather than the standard release.

Zelnick also said Take-Two is confident it can build on the year with new releases and by exploring emerging business opportunities beyond its current lineup.

What This Means for Launch

Pre-order strength helps explain how much of Take-Two's year rides on this one release. Publishers rarely use language like "unprecedented," and rarely say pre-orders are beating internal forecasts, unless the numbers are exceptional. Given the scale of past GTA launches, expectations for the first sales report were already enormous, and this raises them further.

The run-up to launch is already underway. GTA VI's pre-load rollout is beginning, so players who pre-ordered can download the game before it unlocks on November 19.

Stay tuned for more GTA VI news, including any official pre-order figure from Take-Two.

With GTA 6 now sitting on PlayStation 5 consoles in regions where it's already November 10, dataminers have wasted no time digging through the game's files. The first findings point to a more modern upscaler, a high frame rate mode that may never be used, and what could be a ray tracing boost for PS5 Pro owners.

Rockstar hasn't confirmed any of this, so treat everything below as a read of unfinished data rather than a promise about the final game.

A possible ray tracing upgrade on PS5 Pro

The most interesting find came from dataminer @Lucas7yoshi_RS, who spotted a reference to "bvh8" in the files. It's a data structure used to organize 3D geometry for ray tracing. Based on reports, Ubisoft has used it in a game before, and only on PS5 Pro.

If it works the same way here, the Pro could trace rays against scene geometry with more efficiency, which would likely mean higher-resolution ray-traced elements. That would matter. Reflections in Rockstar's footage so far have looked soft and low-resolution in places, and that is the area where a Pro-specific improvement would be most visible.

A newer version of PSSR

Per Tex2, a well-regarded source on the GTA forums, the game files list version 13.60 of Sony's PSSR upscaling technology. For comparison, Cyberpunk 2077 and Assassin's Creed Shadows are listed with 13.00A. A newer build suggests Rockstar is working with more recent tooling, though what that means for image quality won't be clear until the game is in players' hands. No QSSR support is listed at the moment.

120Hz mode exists, but don't expect 120fps

The files include support for a 120Hz, high frame rate mode. That doesn't mean GTA 6 will run anywhere near that fast. Rockstar has shown the game at 30fps so far, and the presence of a display mode isn't a performance target. Whether a 40fps mode or anything beyond it ships is Rockstar's decision, and we likely won't know until launch.

Variable refresh rate (VRR) support isn't listed in the data, which could disappoint players with compatible displays.

What to take from it

None of these findings are official, and pre-load data is often incomplete or subject to change before release. Still, the picture so far is a game built around Sony's newer upscaling, with a possible visual edge for PS5 Pro buyers in ray tracing. With launch on November 19, we won't be waiting long to see how it plays out.

Grand Theft Auto VI is now downloadable. Pre-loading has begun rolling out around the world, which means the decade-long wait is down to a single download bar. The file is enormous, though, so the next several days are best spent clearing space and getting a head start.

Players have until midnight local time on November 19th, when the game launches. With a download this size, most people will want to start well before then.

PS5: A Staggered, Time-Zone-Based Rollout

On PlayStation 5, pre-loading unlocks at midnight local time on Tuesday, November 10th. Every region gets access as its own clock strikes twelve, so the rollout moves across the globe in waves.

New Zealand was first, followed closely by Australia. Players in the Americas will wait nearly a full day longer than those at the front of the line.

Xbox Series X|S: One Global Start Time

Xbox is taking a different approach. Pre-loading opens everywhere at once, at 12am GMT on Tuesday, November 10th, no matter where you live. A player in New Zealand and a player on the US west coast get access at the same moment.

Make sure your console is fully updated before then so nothing slows you down.

Anyone buying a boxed copy with a code in the box has an easy workaround. Codes only become available to pick up from the 12th, but you don't need to wait for that. Open the Xbox app on your phone, find GTA VI in the store, and choose your console to install to. The game will download in the background, and you can redeem the code whenever you get it.

How Big Is GTA 6?

The numbers, first shared by @MrDalekJD, are huge:

• PS5: about 209.75GB to download, around 212GB once installed

• Xbox Series X|S: about 225.34GB to download

Players in Japan will see a slightly smaller package on both platforms. The Japanese version is missing more than 1GB of content, which has led to speculation that it's down to regional censorship.

Anyone with a nearly full SSD should plan ahead. A game this size could mean uninstalling a few other titles, or an external drive if your setup supports one.

Pre-Loading Is Also Leaking the Game

With the files now in players' hands, the leaks have started. The game's main menu music has already surfaced from the pre-load, and more datamined discoveries are likely over the coming days.

Pre-loading also affects launch day. Once the game is installed, you can play it nearly a day early if you live in a region where midnight arrives first, as the staggered launch time works its way around the world.

With Grand Theft Auto VI just hours from opening for pre-load, the leaks have started. The latest is the game's main menu background music, the track that will play whenever you sit on the title screen.

The game is already on PlayStation's servers

GTA VI has reportedly been uploaded to PlayStation's store backend, so the files are staged and ready to go out to players on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. That has given people with the technical know-how a first look at what's inside, and the menu theme is the first piece of content to surface.

Where the music came from

The track was revealed by Razed, the modder known for NaturalVision Evolved and NaturalVision Enhanced, the graphics overhauls for GTA V. A clip of the music, labeled as the PS5 home screen background music, is now circulating on X.

Who made it?

Rockstar hasn't said who composed the piece. Some fans are convinced it's the work of Woody Jackson, who scored GTA V, based purely on how it sounds. Jackson hasn't been confirmed as part of GTA VI's music team, so that remains speculation. Rockstar has previously announced Justice's Grand Theft Auto VI: Original Score, which adds to the question of who is behind this particular track.

Why it matters

Menu music tends to define a GTA game's identity. It's the first thing you hear on launch day, and the series has a long history of themes that become instantly recognizable. Whatever you make of this one, expect to hear it a lot.

What's next

Pre-load opens at midnight local time on November 10 on PS5, with Xbox Series X|S following at 12 a.m. GMT. Code-in-box physical copies are expected to be available from November 12, and the game launches on November 19. After more than a decade of waiting, it's starting to feel real.

What do you make of the track, and do you think it's Woody Jackson's work? Let us know in the comments.

A new piece of GTA 6 artwork has surfaced, and it comes with a mystery attached. German retailer MediaMarkt posted images on Instagram of a double-sided GTA VI poster. One side shows the game's cover art, while the other carries previously revealed artwork with a "Welcome to Vice City" logo in the bottom right corner.

Included with every box, or just MediaMarkt's?

The poster in the photos appears to have been unfolded, which has fueled speculation that it ships inside every code-in-box copy. The retailer's own wording suggests otherwise. MediaMarkt's online listing states that the game includes the poster, and the Instagram caption tells fans to pre-order now and get their poster at MediaMarkt and Saturn. That phrasing points toward a retailer-exclusive bonus rather than a standard pack-in. Community accounts have described it the same way, noting that it's unclear whether this is an official Rockstar design or an addition made by the retailer.

Questions about authenticity

Some fans are skeptical of the poster itself. Part of the doubt comes from the fact that this would be the first extended look at the artwork of the woman featured on it. Until Rockstar or another retailer weighs in, the poster's official status stays unconfirmed.

What Rockstar has confirmed about posters and maps

Rockstar has already detailed its own poster plans. On November 19, an official printable cover art poster and map of Leonida will go up as a free download on Rockstar's site. A double-sided physical version will follow shortly after launch from the Rockstar Store, priced at $0.99 on its own or free with any Rockstar Store purchase. That poster is a map and cover art combination, which doesn't obviously match what MediaMarkt showed.

Fans have also been trying to work out whether the standard box includes any physical map. A Reddit post earlier in October showed a GameStop listing in Pennsylvania claiming a "physical Collector's Map" comes with the purchase, though it remains unverified and could be fake. Rockstar's support page, meanwhile, lists no steelbook, map or retailer-exclusive variant for the code-in-box version. The only confirmed physical poster with a full Leonida map is the one in the $399.99 Goodtime State: Vice City Collection, which does not include the game.

What to expect next

Code-in-box copies reach retailers on November 12 for both PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. That date should show what actually ships in the box and whether other stores offer posters of their own. Until then, anyone pre-ordering from a retailer for the poster should confirm the perk with that store directly, since it may not carry over to other retailers or regions.

With GTA 6 less than two weeks from launch on November 19, the final pre-release details are arriving quickly. The newest comes from Xbox, where store data points to a larger install than on PlayStation 5 and to regional differences that echo what was spotted on Sony's platform.

Recap: the PlayStation numbers

Last week, the tracking account PlayStationSize reported that GTA 6 weighed in at 210GB in the PlayStation Store backend. Rockstar Games later published its own blanket figure of 212GB. PlayStationSize also noted that the PS5 listing is split into three separate builds: a worldwide version, a Japanese version, and one for Australia and New Zealand. Separate regional builds led some fans to wonder whether content was being altered in those territories.

What the Xbox data shows

Xbox appears to follow the same three-build structure. According to the X user @Cokymoky69, the global Xbox build, covering the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, comes to 209.86 GiB, or roughly 225.34 GB. That is noticeably larger than the PS5 figure. One possible explanation is a difference in compression between the two consoles, with PS5 potentially packing the same data more efficiently. That is speculation, and Rockstar hasn't commented.

The regional comparison is the more interesting part. The Australia and New Zealand build is smaller than the global one by just 844 KiB, which is effectively metadata-level variation. The Japanese build is about 1.2GB smaller than the global version.

What it could mean for censorship

On the numbers alone, the Australia and New Zealand version looks essentially identical to the worldwide release, so there is little sign of content being removed there. The Japanese gap is large enough to suggest some content differences, in line with earlier Rockstar releases. GTA V and GTA Online both shipped with changes in Japan.

There are caveats. A 1.2GB difference could also come from localized text, audio or voice-over files, and a file size can't show exactly what was changed or why. Until Rockstar or players confirm what is different in each build, the censorship reading remains an inference.

What's next

Pre-loading is set to begin on November 10, and the release follows on November 19. Once the regional builds are in players' hands, comparisons should show what the size differences actually contain.

With launch now under two weeks away, one question keeps coming up: can you play GTA 6 before November 19? Officially, no. Take-Two executives confirmed on the August earnings call that there will be no early access, so every player unlocks the game at the same moment on November 19. Pre-ordering doesn't change that. It secures the game and any bonus content, but no edition lets you load in before the launch date.

The unofficial answer is more interesting, and it comes down to time zones.

Why some players get GTA 6 first

GTA 6 doesn't launch at one global moment. It rolls out in midnight-local waves, roughly 15 windows spread across about 19 hours, with New Zealand first in line. PlayStation 5 listings put New Zealand's unlock at 11:00 UTC on November 18, which is midnight on November 19 local time. Mexico and several Central American countries come last, at 06:00 UTC on November 19, a gap of 19 hours.

One caveat: Rockstar hasn't published an official release time. The midnight-local schedule comes from PlayStation Store data. Treat the exact hours as strong indicators, not guarantees.

The New Zealand trick on Xbox

Xbox is the easier route. Change your console's location to New Zealand and restart, and the game becomes available a day early. A few things to get right:

• Pre-load first. You can only change region and play early if the game files are already on your console.

• Make the change before the pre-load window opens. The restart is what makes the store pick up the new location, so don't leave it for launch night.

• Check your unlock time. A time zone converter set to New Zealand Daylight Time will tell you exactly when your game goes live.

Console settings can also get in the way. If Xbox won't let you change region, a suspended account is one possible reason.

PS5: harder, but possible

PlayStation is more work. The PlayStation Store ties purchases to your account's registered region, so changing your console's time zone does nothing. The workaround is to create a New Zealand PSN account, buy the game there, and use Console Sharing to play it on your main account. That means a second account registered to New Zealand, a New Zealand gift card, and a pre-load that finishes before the unlock. You'll also need a New Zealand address and a compatible payment method.

How much of a head start do you get?

It depends on where you live. North American players could gain up to 18 hours, while players in Europe might start roughly 10 to 14 hours early. Japan gains about four hours and Australia about two, so the benefit shrinks the closer you are to the date line.

What won't work

• Changing your device's date. Availability is controlled by server-side systems managed by Rockstar and the storefronts, so changing the date on your console or phone won't unlock anything.

• "Play GTA 6 now" videos and sites. Any claim that you can play right now is misleading at best and a scam at worst. The Xbox stub trick is real but harmless, giving you a dashboard icon and nothing else.

Who is already playing

Media outlets have a legitimate head start. Rockstar has reportedly sent review codes to select outlets, with the embargo set for November 18, one day before launch. That means reviews could land before you can play.

Spoilers and risks

If you try the workaround, you're relying on a regional quirk, not an official feature, so check the platform's terms before you spend money on a second account. And if you'd rather wait, plan ahead: players using the trick will start posting spoilers online, so avoid social media and YouTube until your own unlock.

The safest plan is the simple one. Pre-load the game, make sure your storage is ready, and be at the console at midnight local time on November 19.

With Grand Theft Auto VI now two weeks from release, Rockstar Games has put out its largest batch of screenshots in some time. The studio is calling the collection "The Launch Gallery," and it holds 39 new images that have not appeared in the steady stream of stills released over the past month or so.

The set is organized by subject. There are dedicated groups for Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, a group showing the two leads together, and separate sections for Vice City, the Grassrivers, Leonida Keys and Port Gellhorn. Most of the images center on the two protagonists, but the gallery also introduces some new faces. One shot places rapper Kodak Black in the game world.

Some of the most interesting images show areas we haven't seen before. One appears to capture a heist inside a shopping mall, with Lucia and Jason making their escape on a motorbike. A few of the other shots also echo ones Rockstar has shared in the past.

Given the timing, this could be Rockstar's last screenshot release before launch. The game arrives on November 19, and the studio has been steadily building toward that date. GTA 6 has a download size of more than 200GB, review copies have already gone out to media outlets, and pre-order data points to enormous demand.

Rockstar has made the full-resolution images available on its official Launch Gallery page, where each can be opened and enlarged.

Which of the new screenshots stands out most to you? Let us know in the comments.

A new GTA+ cycle began today, November 5, and runs until December 2. Subscribers paying $7.99 / £6.99 / €7.99 a month get a free supercar, new chameleon paints, discounts on business upgrades and boosted payouts on some of GTA Online's most popular grinds.

The free car: Grotti Itali RSX

The headline perk is the Grotti Itali RSX, free to GTA+ members through the Vinewood Car Club. It is a GTA+ exclusive for its first week. Everyone else will need to pay the $3,465,000 Legendary Motorsport price. Members just need to open the Vinewood Car Club, where the car is marked FREE.

Other free items

• Chameleon paints: White Prismatic Pearl, available as both a paint and a wheel paint. Visit any Auto Shop or Vehicle Workshop with an eligible vehicle and look under the Chameleon Color Group.

• Mansion painting: Sod Off is unlocked as a decoration.

• Clothing: the Pop Art Revere Collar Shirt.

• Weapon skins: Baseball Bat Blagueurs and Knife Snakeskin.

Discounts

• 75% off: ammo and body armor

• 60% off: Special Cargo Warehouses and Vehicle Warehouses

Bonuses

• 2x GTA$ and RP on Vehicle Cargo sell missions

• 2x GTA$ and RP on Contact Missions

• 2x speed on Special Cargo sourcing

Vinewood Car Club lineup

Members can test drive and buy from the club's rotating showroom at 20% off. This month's selection:

• Declasse Vigero ZX (E99 livery)

• Grotti Stinger TT (Knuckleduster Sport livery)

• Pegassi Zentorno (Rockstar Motorsport livery)

• Obey 10F

• Pegassi Tezeract

• Pegassi Ignus Pursuit

• Bravado Banshee GTS

• Declasse Scramjet

• Pegassi Weaponized Ignus

• Grotti Itali RSX

Permanent GTA+ perks

These carry over every month:

• Vinewood Car Club Garage: a 100-vehicle garage in Pillbox Hill. Cars stored there stay accessible if your subscription lapses, but you can't add more until you resubscribe. It now includes the Vinewood Club Workshop, so you can customize vehicles without leaving the garage.

• Vinewood Club App: collect daily earnings from your businesses and remotely manage staff at the Hangar, Warehouses and Bail Office. It also covers Money Fronts income from the Hands On Car Wash, plus the Arcade, Nightclub and other businesses.

• Mansion mod access: mansion owners with the Vehicle Workshop upgrade get the same options as the club garage: Hao's Special Works, Benny's Original Motor Works and Drift Tuning.

• Extra aircraft storage: five additional slots, with no McKenzie Field Hangar required.

• Lucky Wheel: two spins every 24 hours instead of one.

• Taxi service: free fast travel to points of interest (normally $1,000), with the cooldown cut from 48 minutes to 5.

• Gun Van: its location is always marked on your map, with bigger discounts and exclusive weapon skins.

• Free vehicle requests through the Interaction Menu.

• GTA$500K paid out every month.

• Free MC, CEO and VIP abilities.

• Games library: GTA Online, GTA V Story Mode, the GTA Trilogy Definitive Edition on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, plus Red Dead Redemption, L.A. Noire and Bully. Mobile versions of Liberty City Stories, Chinatown Wars, Bully, GTA III and Vice City are included too.

Shark Card bonus

Members get an extra 15% GTA$ on every Shark Card purchase:

Is it worth it this month?

The Itali RSX alone is worth more than $3.4 million in-game, and the 60% warehouse discounts and doubled cargo payouts suit players building up those businesses. Whether that justifies a monthly fee depends on how much you play. The free car is only exclusive for a week, so non-members can still buy it later.

A fresh GTA Online weekly update is live, and Rockstar has rotated the featured content again. Running from November 5th through November 11th, this event week puts a guaranteed Panther Statue in your first Cayo Perico Heist run, and Mansion Raid pays triple.

Login Reward and Guaranteed Targets

Log in this week and you'll receive The Great Circle Back Mansion Painting Decoration for free.

Two heists also have guaranteed Primary Targets on your first run:

• The Cayo Perico Heist: the Panther Statue

• The Kortz Center Heist: The Outcome of Endeavour painting

The Kortz Center Heist is also getting a refresh. It has new Primary Targets, its first-completion bonus has reset, and finishing it without dying earns an extra GTA$400,000. The targets in rotation are:

• The Outcome of Endeavour

• To Beat About the Bush

• Hare Oneself Think

• True Love

Bonuses and Discounts

Bonuses

• 3X GTA$ and RP on Mansion Raid

• 2X GTA$ on the Community Race Series

• 2X on first-time completion bonuses for the Original Heists, The Doomsday Heist (all Acts), The Diamond Casino Heist and KnoWay Out

40% off

• Casino Master Penthouse, including upgrades and modifications

• Facility properties, including upgrades and modifications

• High-End Apartments

30% off

• Benefactor Vorschlaghammer

• Cheval Taipan

• Dinka Blista Kanjo

• Grotti Cheetah

• HVY Insurgent

• Invetero Coquette D5

• Maibatsu Penumbra FF

• Pegassi Reaper

• Western Company Besra

• Western Rampant Rocket

25% off

• Grotti Veleno GT, as a first-time vehicle discount

Casino Podium and Prize Ride

The Casino's lucky wheel is offering the Överflöd Entity XXR as this week's podium vehicle. It normally retails for $2,305,000 at Legendary Motorsport. GTA+ members now get two spins every 24 hours instead of one.

For the Prize Ride, place in the top five of an LS Car Meet race on three days in a row to unlock the Annis Hellion. Otherwise it's $835,000 at Southern San Andreas Super Autos.

Salvage Yard Robberies

This week's vehicle targets:

• The Podium Robbery: Annis Hellion

• The Cargo Ship Robbery: Truffade Z-Type

• The McTony Robbery: Lampadati Cinquemila

Missions and Challenges

• FIB Priority File: The Black Box File, which pays double.

• Weekly Challenge: Win an Adversary Mode to earn GTA$100,000.

• Premium Race: At the Races

• HSW Time Trial: Del Perro Beach

• Time Trial: LSIA

Vehicles to Test and Buy

• Hao Premium Test Ride (PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC Enhanced): Grotti Brioso R/A

• Test Track: Cheval Taipan, HVY Insurgent and Pegassi Reaper

• Luxury Autos (Rockford Hills): Grotti Veleno GT and Grotti GT750

• Premium Deluxe Motorsport: Dinka Blista Kanjo, Grotti Cheetah, Invetero Coquette D5, Maibatsu Penumbra FF and Benefactor Vorschlaghammer

Gun Van

Most of the stock is discounted 10%, or 20% for GTA+ members:

• Weapons: El Strickler, Sweeper Shotgun, Widowmaker and Knuckle Dusters

• Throwables: Pipe Bombs, Proximity Mines and Molotovs

• Body armor: all five tiers, from Super Light to Super Heavy

The Knife and Baseball Bat are free for everyone.

Worth Playing This Week

The guaranteed Panther Statue is the main draw. Pair it with the Kortz Center Heist's refreshed bonuses and the 3X Mansion Raid payouts, and there's plenty of cash to be made before the next weekly reset, which should help fund discounted property and vehicle purchases.

Rockstar Games has put the finishing touches on Grand Theft Auto VI's launch plans. A new Rockstar Newswire post confirms when pre-loading begins, how much space the game needs, when it unlocks around the world, and that a physical map of Leonida is on the way. A fresh Vice City screenshot came along with the announcement.

Pre-load dates

Pre-loading starts on Tuesday, November 10, and the timing differs by console.

• PlayStation 5: Pre-loading opens at midnight local time in your time zone.

• Xbox Series X|S: Pre-loading opens globally at 12 a.m. GMT.

• Physical editions: Code-in-box versions will be available at retailers from November 12 on both consoles.

That means PS5 players in different regions will see the download unlock at different moments, while Xbox players worldwide start at the same time.

Install size: 212 GB

Rockstar has officially confirmed that GTA VI needs 212 GB of console storage. The figure had circulated about a week earlier via PlaystationSize, but it had gone unconfirmed until now. It's nearly double the size of Red Dead Redemption 2, a fitting scale for a map Rockstar has described as its largest yet. If your drive is already crowded, clear space before the 10th so you aren't deleting games at the last minute.

Release timing: midnight local

Rockstar also detailed when the game unlocks on November 19. Some fans hoped for a single simultaneous global launch, but the studio is sticking with its usual approach of releasing at midnight local time. Players in New Zealand will therefore get the game hours before most of the world.

A free map of Leonida

Rockstar will also add an official, printable GTA VI cover art poster and map of Leonida to its website as a free digital download on November 19. A double-sided physical version will be available from the Rockstar Store shortly after launch. It costs $0.99 on its own, or it comes free with any Rockstar Store purchase.

Key dates at a glance

• November 10: Pre-load begins (PS5 at midnight local; Xbox Series X|S at 12 a.m. GMT)

• November 12: Code-in-box physical editions at retailers

• November 19: Launch at midnight local time, and the free printable map and poster go live

With two weeks to go, the remaining questions are practical ones: free up the space and pick your launch-night setup.

A new GTA 6 pre-order incentive has turned up, and so far it is more mystery than substance. According to a member of the Rockstar Games community on Discord, Walmart's backend systems list an exclusive bonus for pre-orders placed through the retailer. It would sit on top of the Vintage Vice City pack that every pre-order customer is set to receive.

What the leak shows

An image circulating on X, posted by @nxrcssist and amplified by @smallo92, describes a "surprise and delight offer" tied to qualifying GTA 6 pre-orders. It applies to both the PS5 and Xbox versions. The listing says the extra will arrive inside "one GMD bag," shorthand for a General Merchandise Delivery bag. Beyond that, the contents are not named.

What could be inside

Fans are already guessing, but Walmart's history suggests modest expectations. The retailer used nearly identical wording for the Nintendo Switch 2 launch, where the "surprise" was a snack and a drink. Pringles and Coke have been a past pairing. Based on that precedent, a GTA-branded collectible or exclusive in-game item looks unlikely. A bag of snacks looks more plausible, though nothing has been confirmed by Walmart or Rockstar.

When you can get it

Code-in-box pre-orders can be picked up starting Thursday, November 12, and that is also when customers should receive the surprise bag. That date lines up with codes landing in people's hands and pre-loading opening up ahead of launch. The game has been confirmed as a 210GB download, so players have a comfortable window to prepare before release day on November 19.

The bottom line

Treat this as an unconfirmed leak from retailer backend data. The existence of a Walmart-only extra looks credible, but what's in the bag will stay a guess until November 12 or an official announcement, whichever comes first.

Are you picking up GTA 6 at Walmart? Tell us in the comments.

A new leak suggests Rockstar Games is bringing Grand Theft Auto VI into the sneaker world. Rumors are circulating that Travis Scott's Cactus Jack label, Nike and Rockstar are releasing a limited Air Force 1 Low collaboration.

The report comes from Sneaker Market RO, which has covered the sneaker scene in Romania since 2014 and has a solid reputation for release information. The outlet says the shoes are expected to arrive during the 2026 holiday season, with the current release date set for November 19, 2026. That is the same day GTA VI launches worldwide.

Three colorways, one price

According to the leak, the collaboration will be a Cactus Jack x Rockstar x Nike Air Force 1 Low '07 in three colorways:

• Black & Fire Pink (style code JJ7604-001)

• White & Fire Pink (style code JJ7602-100)

• Multi-Color (style code JJ7603-900)

Each pair is reported to retail for $130. With a name like Travis Scott attached and a GTA VI tie-in, demand will likely far outstrip supply. Expect the pairs to disappear quickly and scalpers to move in right away.

The latest piece of a very large campaign

If real, the sneakers would be the latest step in Rockstar's push toward launch. Recent weeks have brought a heavy Miami presence, including a rebranded Kaseya Center, a Vice City blimp over the city, Vice City sunbeds on the beaches and GTA-themed cars on the streets. A Nike collaboration would extend that campaign from the city into fashion and streetwear.

Not confirmed yet

Neither Nike, Travis Scott nor Rockstar has commented, and everything above rests on the leak. Marketing plans can shift at the last minute, so the colorways, price and date could still change. We'll update this story if anything official appears.

With Grand Theft Auto VI arriving on November 19, the demand numbers are starting to match the hype. Market research firm Circana reported on October 28 that 29% of US console and PC gamers say they intend to buy the game. That is the highest purchase intent the company has recorded for any video game, and it makes GTA VI the most anticipated release in Circana's tracking history.

What the Data Shows

The figure comes from Circana's PlayerPulse consumer tracker. It covers US console and PC gamers, not the wider public, so it shouldn't be read as 29% of all Americans or all gamers worldwide.

Circana analyst Mat Piscatella described the moment as "rare" for both culture and commerce. He pointed to a 13-year wait for a new mainline entry since Grand Theft Auto V.

A Boost for Hardware Too

Circana expects the impact to reach well beyond software sales. Piscatella said GTA VI could lift spending on consoles, accessories and gaming subscriptions through the holiday season. Some players who haven't yet moved to a current-generation system may buy a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series console specifically to play it.

There are early signs of that. Circana data reported alongside the announcement shows US PS5 unit sales up 22% in September, with hardware revenue up 43%. Some outlets credit that to GTA VI anticipation. Others point to a mix of game releases and bundles, so the cause isn't settled.

Intent Is Not Sales

Purchase intent measures what people say they plan to do, not what they end up buying. Circana's announcement didn't include a sample size or detailed methodology, and the record applies only to Circana's own tracking history.

The platform picture also matters. GTA VI launches on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and no PC release has been announced. Because Circana's audience includes PC gamers, some of those who said they plan to buy may be waiting longer than they expect.

Where Things Stand

Pre-loading is set to begin November 12, one week before launch. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has long argued that nearly every adult with a console will want the game. Circana's number is the strongest independent data point yet in support of that claim. The real test comes when sales figures arrive after November 19.

Rockstar Games has confirmed that the original score for Grand Theft Auto VI will get a standalone release. Grand Theft Auto VI: Original Score by French electronic duo Justice arrives on December 11, 2026, on streaming platforms, vinyl and CD. Physical pre-orders are open now.

The release lands a little over three weeks after the game's November 19 launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Fans will get to play first and then take the full score home.

What's in the release

Justice, made up of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, composed the game's original dynamic score. The collection runs to 30 tracks and about three hours of music. Two songs have already been named:

• "Flower in a Hurricane" features Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. It scored the GTA 6 launch trailer on October 15.

• "Pusher" features Gesaffelstein. It is the new single available to stream now.

Rockstar describes the score as mainly instrumental. All editions include bonus content.

Editions and prices

Pre-orders are listed through Rough Trade, with the album released via Because Music. US pricing is:

The crystal clear vinyl is an indie-store exclusive and has a two-per-customer limit. European listings reportedly run roughly €45 to €60 depending on the retailer. Retailers named so far include FNAC and HHV, and the vinyl comes in a gatefold jacket with game art.

Rough Trade is also running a deal that takes 10% off when you buy the score together with Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album. Physical pre-orders are expected to dispatch around December 11 and 12, and pre-saves for streaming are live.

How it differs from GTA 6: The Album

This is a separate release from Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, the 34-track compilation made with Atlantic Records that arrives with the game on November 19. That album gathers original songs from a wide roster of artists, and its vinyl and CD editions ship November 20. Justice also appears on it with "Flower in a Hurricane."

The Original Score is the game's own composed music. It is built to shift with what players are doing as they move through Leonida and follow Jason and Lucia's story. Rockstar has also said more is coming on the next evolution of in-game radio, which is a separate layer from both releases.

Why it matters

Rockstar has put music at the center of GTA 6's rollout, from the album singles to the radio stations and now a full score release. The franchise has a long history with electronic music, and putting a Grammy-winning duo in charge of the entire score is a clear statement of intent.

The release also arrives while the game itself is digital-only at launch. For collectors, the soundtrack editions are the only official physical GTA 6 products so far, so expect the limited crystal clear vinyl to move quickly.

Pre-orders for Grand Theft Auto VI: Original Score are open now through Rough Trade and other retailers.

Rockstar Games has shown off new Grand Theft Auto VI footage in an unlikely place: a cartoon. The latest episode of South Park included a gameplay clip that has fans talking, mostly because of what the player does in it.

The footage appeared in the episode titled "Guinea Pig on a Stick," which aired Wednesday, October 28. The episode is part of Season 29, during which the show has rebranded itself as South America.

What the clip shows

In the episode, the kids visit a local cattle ranch and get a sneak peek at the game, with a smug insider pitching the footage to them. The clip, shown on a television inside the show, opens on a dog squatting on a sunny beach, then cuts to a third-person view of a character walking past beachgoers and starting a confrontation. The character appears to be Jason, one of the game's two protagonists, and a minimap is visible in the corner of the screen.

The punchline is the mechanic itself. Players can pick up the dog waste and throw it at an NPC, and if that NPC fights back, the poop can be used as a melee weapon. The insider sells it as proof of the game's world-building and says this is "what's coming in November." Cartman, naturally, is sold. He calls the game "fucking tits."

Beyond the joke, the scene shows a busy Vice City beach packed with NPCs, a detail that fits the crowd density Rockstar has been promoting.

It's official footage

Early on, it wasn't clear whether the sequence was real or something South Park's animators had recreated. The credits settle it. They read: "Grand Theft Auto VI footage courtesy of Rockstar Games, Inc." The narration was also voiced by Tish Hicks, who previously narrated a GTA V trailer.

One caveat: Rockstar's credit points to an official collaboration, but it doesn't establish whether the sequence was previously unseen. Rockstar hasn't commented publicly on the appearance, and how the mechanic works elsewhere in Vice City, or what happens after an NPC is hit, is unknown.

A running joke all season

This isn't the show's first GTA 6 gag. In the Season 29 premiere, "South American Biker Gangs," on September 16, characters believe the game's release date will improve the country. That episode followed the kids as they got high-powered e-bikes that escalated into a biker-gang war with their parents. The "things will get better in November" bit has now run through multiple episodes, with the show using the game's release as shorthand for the "big change" coming in November, while also nodding at the November 3 midterm elections.

South Park has history here. It has worked with developers before to put real game footage on screen, including Blizzard's help on 2006's "Make Love, Not Warcraft."

What's next

Grand Theft Auto VI launches November 19 from Rockstar Games, the first GTA installment since 2013. It arrives on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. With three weeks to go, Rockstar's marketing push has moved well beyond the usual trailers and into mainstream pop culture, and a dog poop fight on Comedy Central is the latest proof.

Rockstar Games has released another set of Grand Theft Auto VI screenshots, this time through the pages of Edge magazine. The dozen images are a departure from the batches that have appeared over the past month or so. They focus on the characters and on the world around them.

The new shots put Lucia, Jason and VCPD's Méndez front and centre, alongside natural scenery and a wide view of the Vice City skyline. With launch on November 19 only weeks away, Rockstar has been steadily feeding the game's visuals to a rotating cast of outlets, and Edge is the latest.

What's in the Edge feature

The screenshots accompany the cover story in Edge issue 430, the Christmas 2026 edition. The issue is available digitally now, with the print version to follow next month. The feature runs 16 pages and includes interviews with senior Rockstar designers, who offer insight into several aspects of the game's development.

What the screenshots show

The images cover a wide range of moments and settings:

• Méndez: A tight close-up shows the VCPD officer in a dim, run-down environment. He wears a blue collared shirt and tactical vest, with a radio held to his shoulder. His dark hair, moustache and short beard are visible beneath large black-framed shooting glasses. Two shadowy figures stand in a doorway behind him, one wearing a white head covering.

• Lucia at the club: Lucia stands in a nightclub lit by pink and blue neon. She wears a white tank top and gold chain and lifts her dark sunglasses to look straight into the camera.

• 

• On the move: Jason rides a green motorcycle at dusk with Lucia on the back, handgun in hand.

• 

• Under fire: Lucia leans out of a car window with a submachine gun while Jason holds a pistol beside her.

• 

• Underwater: A hammerhead shark glides between coral reefs and rock formations, a reminder of how much of the world exists beneath the surface.

• 

• Vice City skyline: A waterfront view shows skyscrapers along the bay, boats crossing the water and a large Ferris wheel at a marina.

• 

• Heist in progress: The lead image shows Jason using a tool to pry open a car door while Lucia runs from a 24/7 Supermarket.

• 

Each image can be enlarged in the highest resolution Edge supplied.

Where to read it

Edge issue 430 will ship to subscribers and reach bookstores and newsstands in a few weeks. The digital edition is available now through GamesRadar.

More GTA 6 news

The screenshots arrive amid a busy stretch of news. The game's download size has been revealed as a hefty 210GB, review copies have reportedly gone out to media outlets, and fresh data suggests pre-orders are running well ahead of any other game.

Which of the new screenshots is your favorite? Let us know in the comments.