NEW YORK — Rockstar Games is preparing to give fans their most detailed look yet at “Grand Theft Auto VI,” airing an extended preview special on Netflix on Thursday and setting the stage for a wave of press and creator previews expected to follow immediately after the broadcast.

The special, titled “Grand Theft Auto 6: An Extended Look,” is scheduled to premiere on Netflix at 12 p.m. Pacific time, 3 p.m. Eastern, 8 p.m. British time and 9 p.m. Central European time on Thursday. Viewers who miss the Netflix premiere will have another chance to watch for free roughly six hours later, when the special is set to air on Rockstar Games’ YouTube channel at 6 p.m. Pacific and 9 p.m. Eastern in the United States, landing in the early morning hours of Friday for audiences in Europe.

What’s coming after the broadcast

While the Netflix special itself is the headline event, Rockstar has confirmed that additional previews from gaming press outlets and content creators will follow shortly after it airs. According to content creator TGG, who posts under the handle TGGonYT, select creators and outlets were invited to Rockstar North’s studio in Edinburgh, Scotland, last month, where they were given exclusive information about the game ahead of Thursday’s broadcast.

“Last month I was invited to Rockstar North in Edinburgh. While there, I learned exclusive information about GTA 6. As soon as the Extended Look is out, I’m telling you everything. Tomorrow,” TGG wrote in comments shared publicly ahead of the event.

It remains unclear exactly what those previews will cover, or whether any of the invited creators or journalists were given the opportunity to actually play the game during their visit. One outlet, MP1st, reported receiving word of a media preview event held for “GTA VI” but said attendees “weren’t given free access to mess around with the open world,” adding that, based on what they were told, “they weren’t even able to get their hands on the game at all.” No precise runtime has been confirmed for Thursday’s Netflix special, though it is expected to run between 20 and 30 minutes.

A response to mounting leaks

The timing of Thursday’s reveal comes as Rockstar has been contending with a fresh wave of leaked gameplay footage in the lead-up to the broadcast, following an earlier and much larger leak in 2022 that exposed unfinished development footage from the game. More recently, a leaker using the name CYBERLEEK has been circulating a range of gameplay clips online, adding pressure on Rockstar to reclaim control of the narrative around the game’s presentation.

Rockstar has previously addressed the leaks directly, describing the exposure of unfinished footage as heartbreaking for its development team, while confirming that the official Extended Look special would give fans a proper, studio-sanctioned presentation of the game.

Where the game stands

“Grand Theft Auto VI” has had a long and closely watched road to release. The game is currently scheduled to launch Nov. 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S, following two previous delays that pushed the title back from its originally targeted 2025 release window, then again from a planned May 2026 launch. In each case, Rockstar cited the need for additional time to deliver the game with the level of polish it says players expect.

“We are sorry for adding additional time to what we realize has been a long wait, but these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve,” Rockstar Games said in a statement accompanying one of the delays.

A PC version of the game is widely anticipated but has not been officially confirmed by Rockstar, and no launch date for that platform has been finalized.

Pricing and preorders already set

Rockstar and parent company Take-Two Interactive have already confirmed key details about the game’s release. The standard edition of “Grand Theft Auto VI” will cost $79.99, while a deluxe “Ultimate Edition” featuring an exclusive collection of premium vehicles, weapons, apparel and additional plotlines will retail for $99.99. Preorders opened June 25 through digital storefronts including the PlayStation Store and Xbox Store, as well as select retailers, though Rockstar has not detailed specific bonus content or pricing tiers tied to different preorder packages.

The game returns to the fictional state of Leonida and features a return to Vice City, the fictional metropolis first introduced in 2002’s “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.” Players will follow criminal couple Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, with Caminos marking the first female protagonist in a mainline “Grand Theft Auto” title.

Why this matters for the franchise

Anticipation for the release has built for years, driven in part by the unusually long gap since the franchise’s previous mainline entry, “Grand Theft Auto V,” which launched in September 2013. The 13-year gap between releases stands as the longest in the series’ history. “Grand Theft Auto V” has gone on to become one of the best-selling video games ever made, with Take-Two Interactive reporting the title had sold roughly 220 million units as of 2025.

What to watch for Thursday

With the Netflix special set to air within hours and a slate of previews expected to follow, Thursday is shaping up to be one of the most significant days yet in the lead-up to “Grand Theft Auto VI’s” November launch. Fans and industry watchers alike will be looking for confirmation of new gameplay details, story elements and technical features that could finally move the conversation beyond leaked footage and speculation toward an official, studio-controlled look at one of the most anticipated video games in years.