GTA 6 Pre-Orders imminent following Best Buy leak as Rockstar locks release

Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games have reaffirmed that Grand Theft Auto VI will be released on November 19, 2026. Meanwhile, a leaked Best Buy affiliate email suggests physical pre-orders could go live on May 18, 2026.

Release date confirmed with no further delays

During Take-Two’s Q4 2026 earnings call on May 21st, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick clarified previous rumors regarding delays to the title. “We’ve been really clear that we’re releasing the title on November 19,” Zelnick told investors. This is after the game had been delayed twice before.

It was originally meant to release on Spring 2025, then delayed to May 26, 2026, and then further delayed to November 19, 2026. Zelnick admitted it is “about 18 months behind the original date”.

Take-Two projects that it will bring in $8 to $8.2 billion in net bookings for Fiscal 2027. The overwhelming majority of these projections come from GTA 6.

Pre-orders teased May 18 after Best Buy email leak

Numerous affiliate partners reported receiving an email from Best Buy titled “GTA 6 Pre Order (Physical Game)”. The email indicated the promotion would run from May 18-21, 2026 and would pay influencers 5%. The leaked emails are confirmed to be legitimate as they originate from Impact, a genuine affiliate marketing service used by Best Buy.

Rockstar Games has not yet officially revealed when GTA 6 pre-orders will go live, however Take-Two’s CEO, Strauss Zelnick told Bloomberg that “the game is expected to go on pre-order around the same time marketing begins this summer.”

The game is expected to begin marketing around “late June” when “it officially will be summer.”

Following the Best Buy leak, Take-Two stock rose by 5-10%, adding nearly $2 billion in market value.

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Trailer 3, multiple editions and pricing speculation

Most reports expect a third trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI to drop at the time of pre-order launch. According to alleged leakers, there are three editions of the game: a standard digital edition, a standard physical edition for both PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and a collector’s edition.

GTA 6 is being dubbed the most expensive video game ever made, with prices speculated to reach upwards of $100. Sony is already encouraging its PS4 player base to upgrade in preparation for GTA 6.

Return to Vice City and game hype

Grand Theft Auto VI will mark a return to Vice City in the state of Leonida, and to the present day. The second trailer has already accumulated more than 160 million views on YouTube and, in the words of gaming expert George E. Osborn, GTA 6 is on course to be the “last enormous release of its kind.”