Overview

This report compiles the key dates of Rockstar Games' marketing activities across four major releases: GTA IV, GTA V, Red Dead Redemption 2, and GTA VI (for GTA VI — accounting for the ongoing campaign, with part of the dates based on official statements and reliable insider reports).

The focus is on trailers (split into cinematic/storytelling and gameplay), game release dates, pre-order launch dates, and the overall length of the "long" campaign (from first announcement/teaser to game release).

Trailer Type Classification

A simplified typology is used for comparison:

Cinematic / story trailer — engine-rendered or scripted-scene videos focused on atmosphere, narrative, and characters, without structured gameplay demonstrations.
Character / world / thematic trailers — videos focusing on individual characters, setting, or specific themes, without a structured gameplay overview.
Gameplay trailer — a video explicitly structured as a demonstration of game mechanics, interfaces, combat systems, and activities, often with voiceover commentary.
Launch trailer / official trailer — final video before release, usually a mix of cinematic and gameplay snippets, without deep explanations.
Each trailer in the tables below is assigned one of these types.

GTA IV — Marketing Timeline

Key GTA IV Dates

Official release: April 29, 2008 (PS3, Xbox 360).
First major mention / teaser: Rockstar opened a site with a countdown to "Trailer 1" in early March 2007.
Total length of active marketing campaign: ~13 months from the first trailer to release.

GTA IV Trailers

Trailer	Release Date	Type	Comment
Trailer 1: “Things Will Be Different”	March 29, 2007, 22:00 UTC	Cinematic / story	First engine-rendered trailer, focused on Liberty City atmosphere and Niko, no explicit gameplay systems demonstration.
Trailer 2: “Looking for that Special Someone”	June 28, 2007, 12:00 EST	Cinematic with gameplay snippets	Shooting scenes, chases, and physics appear, but presentation is still a cinematic montage.
Trailer 3: “Move Up, Ladies”	December 6, 2007	Cinematic / story	Many dialogues, staged scenes, emphasis on characters and criminal situations.
Trailer 4: “Everyone’s a Rat”	March 27, 2008	Cinematic with more action	Final major pre-release trailer, showing Euphoria physics, explosions, shootouts.
Official GTA IV TV Commercial	Spring 2008	TV / launch spot	Condensed footage montage adapted for TV advertising.
Fall 2008 / PC TV Commercial	Autumn 2008	TV / PC version	Television spot advertising the PC port.
Series of 13 short teasers (Vlad, Roman, Packie, LCPD, etc.)	February–April 2008	Character / world teasers	Short clips focusing on individual characters, brands, and Liberty City institutions.

GTA IV Pre-orders

Exact global pre-order start dates for GTA IV per official Rockstar press releases in archives were not found. For practical roadmap comparison: the first trailers came out ~13 months before release, and retail pre-orders opened after the official release date announcement on January 24, 2008 (roughly 3 months before release).

GTA V — Marketing Timeline

Key GTA V Dates

Announcement: October 25, 2011 — Rockstar publishes the GTA V logo and date of the first trailer.
First trailer (Announcement / Teaser): November 2, 2011.
Release: September 17, 2013 (PS3, Xbox 360).
Pre-order start: November 5, 2012 — Rockstar officially announces GTA V is open for pre-orders at retail and digital stores.

GTA V Trailers

Trailer	Release Date	Type	Comment
Announcement Trailer (Teaser)	November 2, 2011	Cinematic / story	First trailer, sets the Los Santos setting, no structured gameplay overview.
Character Trailers: Michael, Franklin, Trevor	April 30, 2013	Character / story	Three parallel clips revealing the three protagonists and glimpses of their lives.
Official Gameplay Trailer	July 9, 2013	Gameplay trailer	First structured video with voiceover commentary, demonstrating shooting, missions, and character switching.
GTA Online Gameplay Video	August 15, 2013	Gameplay (online)	Separate video dedicated to GTA Online, showcasing multiplayer activities.
The Official Trailer	August 29, 2013	Launch / story+gameplay	Short cinematic + action scenes montage, the final trailer before September 17.

GTA V Pre-orders

November 5, 2012: Rockstar announces GTA V is officially open for pre-orders at retail and digital stores.

By this point, the campaign already included an announcement, the first trailer, and a large preview block in Game Informer, marking the transition to an active marketing phase.

In total, ~23 months pass from announcement to release; from pre-order start to release — about 10 months.

Red Dead Redemption 2 — Marketing Timeline

Key RDR2 Dates

First teaser image: October 16, 2016 — red background with Rockstar logo.
Official Red Dead Redemption 2 announcement: October 18, 2016, with a stated release of "Fall 2017".
First trailer: October 20, 2016.
Delay to "Spring 2018": May 22, 2017.
Final release date: October 26, 2018.

RDR2 Trailers

Trailer	Release Date	Type	Comment
Trailer 1	October 20, 2016	Cinematic	First official trailer
Trailer 2	September 28, 2017	Cinematic	Gameplay and story details
Trailer 3	May 2, 2018	Cinematic	Final trailer before release
Gameplay Trailer #1	9 August 2018	Gameplay trailer	First detailed gameplay showcase: combat, peaceful activities, hunting, horses, and more.
Gameplay Trailer #2	1 October 2018	Gameplay trailer	Focus on combat, robberies, and various activities.
Launch Trailer	18 October 2018	Launch / story + gameplay	Final short trailer a week before release.

Rockstar announced pre-order details, including Special and Ultimate Editions, on 4 June 2018. With delays, the campaign covers about 24 months from the first teaser to release, but the core dense phase with trailers, gameplay, and previews fits into the last ~8 months.

GTA VI — Current and Projected Timeline

Key Official Milestones

4 February 2022: Rockstar confirms in a community update and via social media that the next Grand Theft Auto is in active development.
1 December 2023: Rockstar posts a Newswire announcement — 'TRAILER 1. TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5. 9AM ET' — effectively announcing the first trailer.
4 December 2023: Trailer 1 releases a day earlier than planned due to a leak; this is the first full GTA VI trailer.
May 2025: Trailer 2 combines cinematic storytelling and gameplay; most outlets cite 5 May 2025 as its release date.
2025–2026: Take-Two adjusts the release window in investor communications and ultimately locks in 19 November 2026 as the official release date.

Trailer List (Facts and Expectations)

Trailer	Date	Type	Status
Trailer 1	4–5 December 2023	Cinematic / story (in-engine)	Actual release, unveiled early after a leak.
Trailer 2	5 May 2025	Cinematic + gameplay	Actual release with noticeable gameplay content, still edited as a story montage.
Trailer 3	Expected May-Summer 2026	Likely gameplay / hybrid	Not yet released; analysts expect it before or around a major Take-Two earnings report.
Launch / Final Trailer	Expected Autumn 2026	Launch / story + gameplay	Short final trailer 1–2 weeks before release, by analogy with GTA V and RDR2.

GTA IV Pre-orders

As of May 2026, Rockstar had not officially announced a pre-order start date, but there are several significant indications:

Feb 2026: A Take-Two executive confirms the November 19, 2026 release date in a quarterly report and states that a large-scale marketing campaign will begin in the summer of 2026.
March–May 2026: A series of leaks from Best Buy and partner email newsletters point to the pre-order campaign starting on May 18, 2026; the materials describe the “GTA 6 Pre-Order (Physical Game) — May 18–21, 2026" promotion as a window for affiliates, rather than the actual pre-order period.
Industry media and analysts interpret this as a strong indicator that pre-orders and, likely, the third trailer will launch around these dates or before the May 21 report.

Similar to GTA V and RDR2, pre-orders are expected to open approximately 5–6 months before release, coinciding with either the third trailer or the first full-length gameplay showcase.

Summary table of roadmaps

Game	Announcement / First Teaser	First Trailer	First Gameplay Trailer	Pre-Orders	Release	Time from the first trailer to the release
GTA IV	Countdown on the website in March 2007	29 March 2007	No dedicated gameplay trailer; gameplay woven into story trailers	Late 2007 – early 2008 (in retail stores, following the announcement on January 24, 2008)	29 April 2008	~13 months
GTA V	Logo reveal and trailer release date: October 25, 2011	2 November 2011	9 July 2013	5 November 2012	17 September 2013	~22–23 months
RDR2	Logo teaser: October 16, 2016	20 October 2016	9 August 2018	4 June 2018	26 October 2018	Approximately 24 months (including delays)
GTA VI	Confirmation of active development: February 4, 2022	4–5 December 2023	Trailer 2, set for May 2025, will combine story and gameplay; a separate, large-scale gameplay showcase is expected in May or summer 2026	Expected: second half of May 2026 (according to Best Buy leaks)	19 November 2026	~35 months (expected)

Patterns

Long gaps between the first teaser and the actual campaign.
- GTA V: nearly a year between the first trailer and the start of pre-orders (though there were previews, screenshots, and the Game Informer cover).
- RDR2: the first trailer was released in October 2016, but a steady stream of trailers and gameplay footage began around May–August 2018.
- GTA VI: an even longer timeline (active development announced in 2022, first trailer in late 2023, release in late 2026), heavily dependent on Take-Two’s corporate calendar.
A strict alignment of major news events with Take-Two's earnings reports.
- RDR2 and GTA VI follow a clear pattern: trailers, release date announcements, and major news updates are timed to coincide with the publisher’s quarterly or annual reports to boost the stock price.
Structure of trailers by campaign phase.
- Phase 1 — Announcement / Teaser: a short cinematic that sets the scene and tone (GTA V, RDR2, GTA VI).
- Phase 2 — Story / Character trailers: several clips that introduce the characters, antagonists, and conflict (GTA V — Michael/Franklin/Trevor; RDR2 — Trailer 2–3; GTA VI — Trailer 2, in part).
- Phase 3 — Gameplay reveal: a separate, lengthy trailer with a clear structure, a narrative voice, and a demonstration of the game’s systems (GTA V and RDR2). For GTA VI, this format will most likely be implemented either in Trailer 3 or in a separate “Gameplay Showcase” in 2026.
- Phase 4 — Launch / TV campaign: short launch trailers and TV spots in the final weeks before release.
The start of pre-orders as a turning point.
- GTA V: Pre-orders opened about 10 months before release, coinciding with the announcement of the second trailer.
- RDR2: Pre-orders open approximately 4.5 months before release (based on the already announced release date).
- GTA VI: Pre-orders are expected to start 5–6 months before release, in May 2026, coinciding with Trailer 3/a gameplay event and ahead of Take-Two’s major investor call.

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