After thirteen years, the newest addition to the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) video game series is almost here! The long awaited GTA VI releases on November 19, 2026! The game comes as the sixth installment of the popular Rockstar Games franchise as fans have waited for over a decade now for the newest game.
Grand Theft Auto is an open-world, action adventure video game where players are able to take the role of criminal protagonists where you are able to complete different story missions, drive cars and explore the map freely. The first GTA game was released back in 1997 where it was available to play on PC, Playstation One, and later on the Game Boy Color in 1999.
Before GTA became a pop culture icon, it first was a 2D game where players were able to climb the criminal underworld across three fictional cities that were based on real world locations. Players were able to explore Liberty City which was based on New York City, New York, Vice City based on Miami, Florida and San Andreas based on San Francisco, California. The premise of the original game was to rise through the ranks of organized crime by earning a number of points in each level. In order to earn these points you had to complete criminal jobs such as car thefts, robberies and more. The more points a player earned the higher ranking they would become.
However the game has evolved since its 1997 initial release with GTA VI becoming a full fledged 3D game with next generation photo-realistic graphics, dynamic lighting and fluid physiological movements. In GTA VI, players will follow a criminal couple as they are caught in the crossfire of a massive statewide criminal conspiracy across the fictional state of Leonida (inspired by Florida).
The GTA series has been able to garner a massive cult following throughout the 28 years of the series existence. Bethel College alumni and current Bethel Assistant Athletic Trainer Drannon Lenox shared his excitement for the game’s release stating, “I’m very excited for GTA 6 to come out next month! It’s a series that I grew up with and I just hope the wait will be worth it.” Current Bethel College student-athlete David Ultreras said, “I’m so excited for GTA to come out. It’s been thirteen years since GTA V came out so it’s been a long wait. I was able to preorder GTA VI for just $1 in September so I took advantage of that.”
GTA VI is available for pre-order and will be released fully on November 19, 2026!