Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto VI is not just a game—it’s shaping up to be a cultural event. Set for release in fall 2025, this sequel to the record-breaking GTA V has already ignited a frenzy in the gaming world. With expectations sky-high, it’s on track to become not just the biggest game of 2025 but possibly the most lucrative entertainment product of all time.
Grand Theft Auto V, which was released in September 2013, has shifted more than 205 million games copies and earned an estimated $9bn. Every year it is estimated that about USD 67 billion is generated by video games globally and GTA V has become the second most selling game surpassing the sum of records of the three highest grossing movies and stands only behind Minecraft.
To put this into perspective, the Final Fantasy series has been around for nearly forty years with well over forty installments and the series has sold 10 million units less than this one entry in the GTA series. Of course, GTA VI is going to face colossal expectations.
Work on GTA VI started more than ten years ago but picked up steam after the release of Red Dead Redemption II in October 2018. The creation of this awaited game due to tremendous pressure to meet production deadlines and the stress at work, Rockstar changed its organizational culture.
The company fired its executives and promised to improve the working conditions for the employees. The first major stumble occurred in 2022 when cyber theft happened, thus the company that adopted flexible working protocols required employees to return to the central offices.
However, this has been a whirlwind for GTA VI. Rockstar hasn’t offered much else in terms of details about the game apart from its setting – Miami – release window – Fall 2025 – and that the playable characters are set to be Bonnie and Clyde. More particularly, the company sources the criticism of the previous entries by assuring it ‘will be less problematic’ for marginalized groups.
The game’s online mode is expected to generate long-term revenue, much like its predecessor. Anticipation is so intense that rival publishers are delaying their own launches to avoid clashing with GTA VI’s release. With a teaser trailer surpassing 200 million views and shares of Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive, soaring by 30%, GTA VI is already making waves in the gaming industry.