News and Reviews

Red Dead Redemption 2's honor system let players shape Arthur Morgan into a saint or a psychopath, with the game's NPCs responding accordingly. Fans have wondered for months whether Grand Theft Auto 6 would import a similar mechanic into Leonida — and according to new reporting, the answer is yes, with a catch. Rockstar has apparently built a comparable reputation mechanic into GTA 6, referred to internally as the "Criminal Profile." Details have surfaced gradually through preview coverage from outlets that attended recent hands-off sessions with the game, including footage from TGG and reporting from IGN, and a clearer picture is starting to form of how the system actual…

Downtown Miami is moving toward letting Rockstar Games take over its skyline with Grand Theft Auto VI advertising, and the timeline is tight: banners could start going up as early as next month. According to a report from The Miamian, Miami District 2 Commissioner Damian Pardo is sponsoring an ordinance heading to the city commission agenda on September 10th that would authorize temporary banners, building wraps, and promotional displays advertising GTA VI across the city. The kind of signage waivers being proposed are typically reserved for major sporting events, like this summer's World Cup, which makes the carve-out for a video game launch notable in itself. The deal, …

If you've been paying attention to the recent trailers for Pokémon Legends: Z-A's Mega Dimension DLC, you'll no doubt know that doughnuts have a pretty big role to play in the dimension-hopping — what did you expect, it's Pokémon! The Pokémon Cafe's new menu looks set to bring these sweet treats into the real world, but it also might be teasing that a pair of legendary 'mon will make their return in the DLC. Yep, we live in a world where Pokémon spoilers can come from anywhere, even doughnuts. But come on, take a look at the above two baked goods — currently appearing under the tentative titles of "Red Doughnut" and "Blue Doughnut" on the Pokémon Café's Pikachu Sweets web…

It's been an ambitious year for Xbox Game Pass in 2025, with so many incredible games joining the service over the past 11 months, and it's about to deliver another amazing slate of titles in 2026 as well. In fact, Microsoft is promising 75+ "day one" games on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate per-year moving forward, which is a massive step up on what we've been getting to date - it apparently represents a 50% increase altogether. With that in mind, they're going to need a lot of developers and publishers to remain on board. Fortunately it sounds like that's the case, as explained by the Xbox GM of Portfolio and Programmes (Chris Charla) in a recent interview. Chris, who's known p…

The livestreamed reaction to Grand Theft Auto VI's Netflix debut has turned out to be one of the biggest moments in gaming broadcast history. According to new data from Stream Charts, co-streams of the GTA VI Extended Look peaked at just under 3.97 million concurrent viewers, making it the largest live gaming event of 2026 so far — edging out Summer Game Fest's previous high of 3.81 million. The 27-minute trailer premiered exclusively on Netflix, putting it behind a paywall before it eventually made its way to platforms like YouTube. Even so, nothing stopped creators from reacting to it live, and thousands did. Netflix itself has already confirmed that the video crossed 3…

Rockstar Games has never been known for rushing its biggest releases onto PC, but a new wave of industry chatter suggests Grand Theft Auto VI might actually break that pattern. The speculation traces back to the September 4 episode of the VGC Podcast, where veteran gaming journalist Andy Robinson said there's "a bit of noise" in the industry pointing toward an earlier-than-expected PC version of GTA 6. According to Robinson, "I do think they'll push the PC version up. There is a bit of noise about that. That perhaps the PC version might arrive sooner than some people might expect. Just because of everything that is going on." He stopped short of citing a specific source, …

Grand Theft Auto VI merchandise is finally trickling out into the world, and the latest drop comes in an unexpected form: a set of official stickers hidden inside a magazine. The stickers surfaced as part of Dazed's autumn 2026 issue, which dedicates a major feature to GTA VI. One of the issue's cover variants features artwork of Jason and Lucia set against the neon backdrop of Vice City, and buried inside the print edition is a run of seven stickers celebrating the game. The set includes a "I ❤️ Vice City" design, a nod to the classic Vice City logo, and a GTA VI-branded take on the Rockstar Games logo itself. High-resolution images of the full set surfaced online after …

Rockstar Games' Extended Look at Grand Theft Auto VI didn't just break viewership records — it's now reshaping listening habits on streaming platforms weeks after it aired. New data from Spotify, Billboard and Shazam shows several songs featured in the 26-minute PS5 gameplay reveal experiencing enormous, near-instant surges in plays and playlist adds, the latest sign of just how far the trailer's cultural reach has extended beyond gaming circles. Spotify: a 130,000% spikeSpotify shared data with EDM.com showing the biggest jump in streams belonged to Captain & Tennille's "But I Think It's A Dream," with global streams climbing roughly 130,730% and playlist additions u…

Rockstar Games pushed a fresh update to the Rockstar Games Launcher on Thursday, bringing a batch of bug fixes and backend improvements aimed at keeping the PC platform running smoothly for players who use it to access the studio's catalog. Before diving into the patch notes, there's an interesting discovery to flag first. Dataminer Tex2 spotted a reference to a "Streamer Mode" setting tucked into the update files. The speculation is that this could tie into the new in-game overlay Rockstar teased alongside next week's NoPixel V launch, though nothing's been officially confirmed yet. Rockstar Games Launcher Update 1.0.109.3031 — Patch Notes The full notes were posted on …

A proposed city-wide marketing partnership between Rockstar Games and Miami-Dade County for the launch of GTA 6 has run into resistance from local law enforcement, with a Republican Commissioner and the County Sheriff publicly rejecting the idea. What Was ProposedLast month, details leaked of a pitch sent to Rockstar by Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava's office, outlining ways the county and the studio could collaborate on a major marketing push around GTA 6's launch. The proposal reportedly floated covering billboards, trains, and buildings in GTA 6 artwork, and even temporarily rebranding Miami International Airport as "Vice City Airport." Rockstar, not taxpayers, …

Grand Theft Auto VI's Extended Look didn't just dominate Netflix's charts — it's now moving hardware off store shelves. The 27-minute gameplay deep dive premiered on Netflix last week and became the platform's most-watched program worldwide, with more than 31 million viewers tuning in. That kind of reach was always going to ripple outward, and new retail data suggests it already has. According to Nielsen IQ figures reported by The Game Business, UK PS5 sales rose 33% in the week following the reveal, while Xbox Series X|S sales climbed 34%. PS5 Pro units are now sold out across most UK retailers, with Sony's own site the only reliable place to find one in stock. The conso…

Grand Theft Auto VI is getting its own piece of official hardware, and it's coming straight from PlayStation. During Thursday's State of Play broadcast, Sony and Rockstar Games jointly unveiled the Grand Theft Auto VI Limited-Edition DualSense Wireless Controllers, two custom pads designed to tie directly into the game's Vice City setting. Design and Features The controllers come in two color options — black and white — each built on the standard DualSense shell but dressed up with GTA VI-specific styling. The standout feature is a shimmering, color-shifting gradient across the lower portion of each controller, blending blue, pink, and purple tones meant to evoke a Vice …

Rockstar has rolled out a new GTA Online weekly update, and it marks the start of a much bigger push: a month-long celebration called the Business Rivalries event. Running alongside the usual weekly rotation of bonuses, discounts and vehicles, this Event Week spans September 3rd through 9th and sets the stage for weeks of business-focused rewards. A Business Bonus Month, Four WaysRockstar hasn't run a dedicated business bonus month in a couple of years, and this one is structured to roll through GTA Online's core business types one at a time. Executives are up first this week, with Bikers taking the spotlight next week, followed by Gunrunning operations, and the event wra…

Grand Theft Auto VI just delivered one of the biggest marketing moments in gaming history, and Wall Street shrugged. Rockstar's Extended Look trailer dropped last week, a nearly 30-minute chunk of PS5 gameplay footage that Netflix says became the most-watched English-language film on the platform that week, pulling in a massive spike in traffic the moment it went live. Fan reaction was overwhelmingly positive. Investor reaction was the opposite: Take-Two's share price fell from roughly $235 to $218 when markets opened Monday — an 8% drop — and has slipped further since, putting the stock at its lowest point since pre-orders opened. A Pre-Order Bump That Wasn't The main cu…

Netflix has now put hard numbers behind just how big a win the GTA 6 exclusivity deal turned out to be. The streaming giant secured a six-hour exclusivity window last week to premiere 27 minutes of Grand Theft Auto VI footage before it hit YouTube. Demand was reportedly high enough to briefly crash the platform, and Netflix later confirmed a 35% spike in overall users during the window. It was also confirmed that the arrangement was pitched to Netflix by Rockstar itself. Netflix has now published its weekly Top 10 chart data covering August 24th–30th, and the Extended Look topped the "English film" category with 31.1 million views. The clip hit No. 1 in 87 of the 93 count…

Rockstar Games is throwing its full weight behind the next generation of GTA Online roleplay, formally backing the launch of NoPixel V and rolling out in-game perks to reward players for tuning into the hype around it. The publisher confirmed the news through an official newswire post, marking one of its clearest public endorsements yet of the roleplay community that has grown up around GTA Online over the years. NoPixel has long been one of the most-watched RP servers in the FiveM space, and this latest version is set to enter a closed beta on September 8, with roughly 500 players receiving invitations to access it directly through the Rockstar Games Launcher. What's Cha…

Grand Theft Auto VI's launch isn't just shaping up to be the biggest event in gaming history — it might also leave a dent in the US economy. A new study suggests that Rockstar's next mega-release could cost the United States more than $1 billion in lost productivity on launch day alone, as huge numbers of workers and students skip work or class to play. The "sick day" joke is becoming a real economic factor Fans calling in sick — or burning a vacation day — to play a hotly anticipated game on release day is a long-running joke in gaming culture, but it's not just a joke anymore. GTA VI has already driven unusually early time-off requests, with players locking in days off …

Rockstar Games and Netflix's 26-minute Extended Look at Grand Theft Auto VI didn't just give fans their most substantial gameplay footage yet — it also delivered a hefty dose of the game's soundtrack. Across the extended showcase, 15 individual songs played out over the action, spanning six decades and half a dozen genres, giving the clearest picture yet of how eclectic Vice City's in-game radio and music direction will be. The reveal builds on a soundtrack picture that was already taking shape. Last week, unauthorized early-build gameplay footage leaked by a user known as Cyberleek surfaced a separate batch of confirmed tracks, and this official Extended Look adds anothe…

Grand Theft Auto 6's newly released Extended Look trailer left little doubt that Rockstar has built one of the most visually ambitious open-world games ever attempted. Dense crowds, lifelike lighting, and intricate character animation dominate the nearly 30-minute reveal. But alongside the praise, a familiar concern has resurfaced: the game appears to be locked to 30 frames per second, with no confirmed 60 FPS option in sight. A Bridge the Technical Team Hasn't CrossedThe footage in the trailer reportedly comes from an in-development build running at 30 FPS, and that looks to be Rockstar's target at launch. Rob Nelson, head of development at Rockstar North, fielded questi…

Grand Theft Auto games don't start with a script, a character, or even a story beat. According to Rockstar Games' own Head of Development, they start with a plane ticket. In a recent interview with French outlet TroisCouleurs, Rob Nelson pulled back the curtain on the early creative process behind Grand Theft Auto VI, revealing a methodical, almost architectural approach to building a fictional world before a single mission is designed. The picture that emerges is less "video game pitch meeting" and more location scouting for a feature film — because, as it turns out, that's essentially what it is. Step One: Pick a Place, Then Go Live There (Sort Of)Nelson explained that …

Grand Theft Auto VI had a massive effect on Netflix last night, and the early data proves just how big Rockstar's grand unveiling really was. The Grand Theft Auto VI: Extended Look premiered on Netflix on Thursday, August 27, giving subscribers a six-hour head start on the rest of the internet before the footage hit YouTube and the official GTA VI site. The impact was immediate — when fans flocked to the platform to watch, the stream struggled to play and briefly crashed for viewers before smoothing out roughly a minute later. Now the numbers are in, and they show exactly how big that moment was for Netflix. The Numbers, According to Sensor TowerA report from GamesBeat, c…

For two decades, jacking a car in Grand Theft Auto has meant the same thing: walk up, press a button, watch your protagonist yank the driver out, and drive off. It didn't matter if it was a rusted-out sedan or a six-figure supercar — the process was identical. That's finally changing. Speaking to IGN as part of the game's Netflix reveal showcase, Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson confirmed that GTA 6 is scrapping the one-button hotwire in favor of a full vehicle security system, one that treats different cars very differently depending on how well-protected they are. "We have put some layers of stratification into the vehicles," Nelson said. "Previously, you could …

Rockstar has already spent years telling fans that Grand Theft Auto VI would be its biggest game yet. Now, in the hours following the "Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look" trailer premiere on Netflix, we finally have some hard numbers to put behind that claim — straight from one of the people building the game. The numbers, from the sourceDuring a post-trailer livestream, YouTuber TGG — one of a small group of creators flown out to Rockstar North for an early hands-off look at GTA 6 — relayed details from a conversation with Rob Nelson, Head of Development and Co-Studio Head at Rockstar North. Asked directly about the size of the map, Nelson reportedly told TGG that Leo…

Rockstar Games has released more than 20 new screenshots for Grand Theft Auto VI, arriving alongside the Grand Theft Auto VI Extended Look that premiered on Netflix this past Thursday. The 26-minute gameplay deep dive gave fans far more than most were expecting, and this fresh batch of imagery builds on that momentum with a direct look at the game itself. Unlike footage pulled from the Extended Look, these screenshots were captured straight from the game. The focus lands squarely on protagonists Jason and Lucia as they move through a range of situations across Leonida, with several shots also pulling back to showcase the sheer scale and detail of the state itself. The ima…

Rockstar Games has kicked off a new GTA Online weekly update, and this one marks the start of a two-week event centered on drift and transform races. Running from August 26 through September 2, the update brings a wave of new content, rotating bonuses, and steep discounts across Los Santos. Five New Transform Races Join the Rotation The headline addition this week is a batch of five new Random Transform Races, split across the two existing categories. Three are Known Unknown Races, sending players through Redwood Lights Track, the Elysian Island docks, and the Grand Senora Desert. In these, competitors cycle through a predetermined lineup of vehicles in random order — me…