GTA 5 Going Out With A Bang This Summer

2 hours ago 11

A character in a bikini that appears on the cover of GTA 5

Published Jun 28, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT

Jared is a writer, editor, and Communications Studies graduate who loves popular nerd culture (almost anything to do with Marvel, DC, Star Wars, or The Lord of the Rings) and the interactive storytelling medium. Jared's first console was the PS1, wherein he fell for Spider-Man, Spyro the Dragon, and Crash Bandicoot.

Grand Theft Auto 6 is nigh. Anyone who’s been eagerly awaiting what is surely one of the most highly anticipated games of all time will probably continue to toil for the next few months before it launches, of course, but we are barreling toward Grand Theft Auto 6’s official release date with increasing speed now that preorders have gone live and further marketing is expected to be doled out throughout the summer.

Ever since the first cinematic Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer was released, it’s been easy to think of nothing but Rockstar’s upcoming blockbuster epic. 13 years will separate it and the last Grand Theft Auto entry when all is said and done, and, while some fans are perfectly ready to join Rockstar in entering a thrilling new era for the series, it’s only now hitting for some fans that as Grand Theft Auto 6’s era begins, GTA 5’s is ending.

As GTA 6 Countdown expresses on Twitter/X, GTA 6 launching this fall means that this summer will be fans’ last with Grand Theft Auto 5. Fans will always be able to revisit GTA 5 in the future, of course, yet it’ll undoubtedly be eclipsed forever by GTA 6 come November.

Therefore, a fond farewell for Grand Theft Auto 5 is in order, and it’s heartwarming to see how much fans have cherished the fifth mainline Grand Theft Auto game. User Winslydotcom writes, “Los Santos, it’s truly been a blast,” and user alphanitro10881 shares, “13 years of memories, map exploring, and driving around Los Santos. GTA 5 literally defined a generation, but we are more than ready for Vice City!”

It’s eye-watering to acknowledge how long it’s been since Grand Theft Auto 5 launched, and Grand Theft Auto 6’s launch is truly a momentous occasion for that exact reason. If it takes almost a decade and a half for Rockstar to develop Grand Theft Auto 7, then fans will be waiting another entire generation to experience it, and that’s a sobering thought.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. GTA 6 being so close is certainly cause for celebration, yet Grand Theft Auto 5 and Grand Theft Auto Online deserve their flowers, too. They have effectively sustained Grand Theft Auto fans this whole time, and are essentially why Grand Theft Auto 6 has earned as much hype as it has.