News and Reviews

Sony isn't just giving Grand Theft Auto VI a spot on the show floor at Tokyo Game Show 2026 — it's giving the game its own theater, and handing out free merchandise to anyone who shows up. Running September 17 through 21, PlayStation's TGS 2026 booth includes a dedicated "Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look" theater. Visitors sit down to watch the 30-minute Extended Look trailer on a 300-inch screen, with Sony's floor haptics rumbling underneath to add a bit of physical weight to the presentation. It's worth noting the footage itself isn't new — it's the same Extended Look that premiered in late August — but the presentation is built to make familiar footage feel like a…

Rockstar Games has pushed a new patch for GTA V and GTA Online, and this one didn't come with any fanfare — it quietly strips a well-liked track off one of the game's radio stations. The change was first flagged by dataminer Tex2, who spotted that Tuesday morning's patch removes Moloko's "The Time Is Now" from Non Stop Pop FM. The song has been a station staple for years, and its disappearance didn't go unnoticed — fans took to social media almost immediately to voice their frustration. So far, the removal only affects the Enhanced version of GTA V on PC. Both GTA V Legacy on PC and the console versions remain untouched for now, though if this comes down to a licensing is…

Grand Theft Auto VI's marketing push took an unexpected turn this week, and for once it wasn't Rockstar driving the conversation — it was the artists themselves. On Tuesday afternoon, a wave of musicians simultaneously shared brand-new artwork tied to GTA 6, catching fans off guard with a coordinated drop rather than a single Rockstar-led reveal. Six pieces of art surfaced in total, credited to Travis Scott, Morgan Wallen, Freebandz (Future's record label), CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso, Raúl Alejandro, and Keith Richards. The shared timing and the sheer range of genres involved — hip-hop, country, Latin, and rock — strongly suggests all of these acts will have music featur…

A fresh data report has put hard numbers behind something GTA fans already suspected: getting featured in the Grand Theft Auto VI Extended Look trailer was rocket fuel for the artists involved. Music industry analyst Mat Ombler of MusicEXP dug into streaming and social platforms to quantify the fallout from the trailer, covering the week of August 27 to September 3. The results paint a picture of a marketing moment with real, measurable commercial weight — not just hype among the game's own fanbase, but a crossover effect that reached deep into artists' actual listener numbers. Spotify Numbers Went VerticalThe headline figure: artists featured in the Extended Look saw the…

Grand Theft Auto VI now has its first confirmed cast member, and the news didn't come from Rockstar Games — it came from the actor himself. Speaking with the Associated Press at the BAFTA TV Tea Party, Stephen Root was asked directly about the long-running fan theory tying him to GTA VI. He didn't dodge it. "Yeah, you're gonna see me in there," Root said, adding, "It's coming out November 19th." The moment closes the book on one of the game's worst-kept secrets. Speculation that Root voices Brian Heder began almost immediately after GTA VI's second trailer dropped in May 2025, when fans recognized his distinctive delivery in the footage showing Brian interacting with prot…

Real-world GTA 6 marketing has cleared a major hurdle in South Florida. The Miami Beach City Commission has voted 4-3 to let Rockstar Games place large-scale advertisements around the city ahead of the game's November 19 launch, reversing the tone set earlier by Miami-Dade officials who had objected to promoting a game they said "glorifies" violence against police. The scale of what's being approved is notable. Signage could run larger than 5,000 square feet, with a price tag of roughly $208,000 per placement — a level of signage privilege Miami Beach has historically reserved for events like the Formula 1 Grand Prix and next year's FIFA World Cup. Rather than splashing "…

New viewership data is putting a dollar figure on just how much Netflix may have gained from its brief but headline-grabbing GTA VI exclusivity deal — and while the number is nowhere near the reported cost of securing the footage, it tells an interesting story about what the partnership actually delivered. According to analytics firm Ampere Analysis, cited via GamesIndustry.biz, Netflix picked up more than 100,000 new sign-ups in the United States during the six-hour window it held exclusive rights to "Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look" on August 27. If every one of those new subscribers landed on Netflix's cheapest tier, that works out to roughly $1 million in new su…

A new GTA+ cycle has kicked off for September, and Rockstar Games is once again sweetening the pot for subscribers with a free supercar, exclusive customization options, and the usual stack of recurring perks. The new Month 54 benefits run from September 10 through October 7. Free Vehicle: Pegassi Horus The headline reward this cycle is the Pegassi Horus, which GTA+ members can claim at no cost despite its $2,810,000 price tag at Legendary Motorsport. The catch is timing: the Horus is only free for members during a one-week exclusivity window before it becomes available to the wider GTA Online player base. To claim it, subscribers need to visit the Vinewood Car Club, wher…

Rockstar Games' month-long Business Rivalries Event has rolled into its second stretch, and this week's GTA Online update (running September 10-16) puts motorcycle clubs front and center while adding a fresh supercar to the game's ever-growing roster. A New Ride for GTA+ Members The headline addition this week is the Pegassi Horus, now available exclusively to GTA+ subscribers. Non-members will have to wait out a one-week exclusivity window before they can pick it up from Legendary Motorsport starting September 17, at a steep $2,810,000. Bikers Take Center Stage With Business Rivalries cycling through GTA Online's criminal industries week by week, it's motorcycle clubs'…

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, …

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…