Rockstar has not confirmed an exact in-game year for GTA 6. All official materials, including the two trailers and the 26-minute Extended Look from August 27, 2026, depict a contemporary setting with modern cars, phones, and social media culture. The game launches on November 19, 2026, and the setting aligns with that era.
Leaks from the 2022 development build, which Rockstar acknowledged as real, showed modern weaponry and clothing. Nothing in the trailers suggests a period piece like Vice City’s 1986 setting. The map is called Leonida, a parody of Florida, and the story follows Lucia and Jason. Based on the evidence, expect the story to unfold in roughly 2026, but treat that as an inference, not a fact.