A new Grand Theft Auto 6 leak has teased a potential release date and plans for DLC following its release. Rumors have been circulating surrounding GTA 6's release since Rockstar confirmed its work on the next entry of its immensely successful open-world crime franchise.This latest leak from reliable GTA insider Tez2 (via GTAForums) has been shared on Twitter by GTA 6 News, and claims that Rockstar is targeting a holiday 2024 release for GTA 6​​​​. The leak also claims that Rockstar has cut out entire portions of the game in order to meet the targeted release window, and will be releasing them later as DLC.
Tez2's comments do mention that there is the possibility that GTA 6's release could slip into early 2025, but theorizes that with Rockstar enforcing a total 'return to office' policy for all staff, the company may be firmer with a release date announcement this year as a result.
There Are Pros And Cons To Rockstar's Rumored GTA 6 Release Plans
Tez2's comments about the release strategy could be divisive among players. On the one hand, it's understandable that Rockstar may not be in a position to delay GTA 6 further into a Holiday 2025 or 2026 window. It's good that players will finally be able to play a version of the title after a decade of waiting, but on the other, the idea of cutting portions of the game to meet this deadline may leave fans feeling like they're playing an incomplete product at launch.
Comparisons could be drawn to the controversial GaaS/Live Service model seen in recent years, which has sparked debate among gamers, particularly with titles that aren't free-to-play and come with a $70 price for the base game. If the DLC containing the removed portions of the game is free it may not be as much of an issue, but if Rockstar then chooses to charge players for the additional content that was intended to be in the base game, it could become a point of contention among the fanbase.
Of course, Grand Theft Auto 6 has been the topic of speculation for many years, and previous leaks in 2022 finally confirmed some of the rumors surrounding the title were true, such as GTA 6's Vice City location and female protagonist. Although Tez2's comments indicate that Rockstar's moved the deadline several times throughout the title's development, hopefully, this latest update is correct and players will be able to play the latest GTA installment soon.
Source: GTA 6 News/Twitter