Grand Theft Auto VI Release Date Set for May 2026 as Xbox Store Adds Placeholder Download

Grand Theft Auto 6 has officially made its way to the Xbox Store, just over a month after debuting on the PlayStation Store. Players using Xbox Series X and Series S systems can now visit the game’s official store page, wishlist the title, and initiate a small download. This download, which measures approximately 300 megabytes, is, of course, not the full game; it is a placeholder file that installs automatically when the game is added to a user’s wishlist. This does not occur on PlayStation 5, where the wishlist function exists but does not trigger a download. The placeholder functionality is a standard feature of Xbox systems.

The addition of GTA 6 to the Xbox storefront follows Rockstar Games’ release of the second official trailer for the title. This trailer, running nearly three minutes in length, revealed expanded details about the game's setting and characters. The story is centered around two main protagonists, Jason Duvall and Lucia Caminos, who become involved in a criminal conspiracy after an initially simple heist goes wrong. According to Rockstar, the two will have to depend on each other to survive.

Alongside the trailer, Rockstar launched an updated official website for GTA 6. The site features more than 70 new screenshots and a substantial amount of new information about the game’s characters and locations. Confirmed areas in the game include a modern version of Vice City, inspired by Miami, as well as additional locations named Leonida Keys, Grassrivers, and Port Gellhorn.

Shortly after these updates, Rockstar announced that the release date for Grand Theft Auto 6 had changed. Originally scheduled for a Fall 2025 launch, the game is now officially set to release on May 26, 2026. It will be available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

As of now, Rockstar Games has not announced a release date for the PC version of GTA 6. Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar's parent company, addressed the issue in general terms, stating that Rockstar has historically launched its games on some platforms first before expanding to others. No specific timeline for the PC release has been provided. However, Ronald van Veen, Vice President of Finance at Corsair, mentioned during a company earnings call that he believes the PC version of GTA 6 will be released in early 2026. He did not cite a source for this belief, and Rockstar has not confirmed this information.

In the weeks following the trailer and store listing updates, a number of unconfirmed details about GTA 6 have surfaced online. One user on X (formerly Twitter) known as GameRoll_, who previously disclosed the full names of the game’s protagonists before they were confirmed by Rockstar, has claimed several new features will be included in the final game. According to GameRoll_, GTA 6 will contain over 700 enterable stores that players can explore or rob. Functional malls will also reportedly be included, allowing for more diverse in-game environments.

Additional claims from the same user state that the game will be structured into five story chapters, involving a character-switching mechanic that enables players to alternate between Lucia, Jason, or both. According to these reports, several features have been removed from the game, including dual-wielding weapons, house burglaries, prone positioning, and a dynamic cover system. GameRoll_ stated that the dynamic cover system was removed due to quality concerns. Furthermore, the game will include male strippers, a change from prior entries in the series.

A separate article published by the Times of India suggested that GTA 6 could introduce gameplay involving casino-based money laundering. The report outlined four possible in-game methods that Rockstar could include for generating money: through casinos, real estate transactions, high-cash businesses, and luxury assets such as art or cars. Rockstar has not officially confirmed these mechanics, but the report aligns with prior features seen in GTA Online, specifically the Diamond Casino & Resort update. That 2019 expansion added an in‑game casino where players can gamble using “casino chips,” play minigames, and even purchase custom penthouses. The casino feature in GTA Online remains active in regions that permit it but is restricted in certain countries due to regional laws regarding online gambling.

While players await GTA 6’s release, Rockstar has offered an appealing set of incentives while everyone waits. Players who have been inactive for more than 60 days can score $1 million in in-game currency just for logging back in. Once they do, that money is deposited in their bank within 72 hours. That alone is worth about £10 in real-world value, based on Rockstar’s own Shark Card pricing. 

To get even more, players can purchase a Shark Card for additional bonus cash, $1.5 million more, to be exact. And if you subscribe to GTA+, Rockstar’s premium monthly membership, you’ll receive another $500,000, along with the usual in-game perks and content drops. All told, that's $3 million in virtual cash available to players who take advantage of every angle.

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