Few systems in a Grand Theft Auto game are scrutinised more closely than its arsenal. The weapon wheel — introduced in Grand Theft Auto V (2013) — codified a generational shift away from cycling through a flat inventory, while Grand Theft Auto Online's nine-year content cadence inflated the available catalogue to well over eighty distinct firearms, melee implements and thrown ordnance. Grand Theft Auto VI, scheduled for release on 19 November 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S (Rockstar Games, 2026; Wikipedia, 2026), inherits that expectation. Although Rockstar has resolutely refused to publish a definitive weapons list ahead of launch, two official trailers, the May 2025 promotional screenshot drop and the September 2022 development leak collectively expose a sufficiently large evidence base to sketch the likely shape of the catalogue. This report consolidates that evidence, estimates probable catalogue size, and examines class-by-class what Leonida's criminal toolbox is likely to contain.
Rockstar's solo-campaign weapon counts have grown modestly across generations: Vice City (2002) shipped with roughly thirty-five named weapons, San Andreas (2004) with around forty, and GTA V's launch single-player offered fifty before post-launch additions (GTA Wiki, 2026). Given the explicit Bonnie-and-Clyde framing of Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos and the eight-year development window (Wikipedia, 2026), a launch-day catalogue between sixty and seventy distinct weapons is the most defensible projection. The GTA Wiki currently tracks more than thirty weapon entries confirmed by trailers, screenshots or leaked footage (GTA Wiki, 2026), and that figure represents only what Rockstar has chosen to display publicly. By precedent, the online expansion will then layer on additional Mk II-style variants and bespoke heist weaponry, so an eighteen-month total in excess of one hundred named items is realistic.
Pistols form the spine of the visible loadout. Trailers and official screenshots have confirmed at least four sidearms with distinct silhouettes: the Mustang .357 revolver glimpsed in the Ambrosia screenshots, a standard Pistol in the first trailer's key art, a striker-fired Polymer Pistol carried by Boobie Ike, and a chrome Capo pistol shown in Raul Bautista's promotional set (GTA Wiki, 2026). Additional unnamed real-world-inspired weapons depicted include a Beretta 92FS analogue and a Bersa Thunder 380 analogue, suggesting Rockstar is doubling down on its tradition of fictionalised but recognisable Floridian street weaponry. A combined pistol class of eight to ten launch items, spanning subcompacts, service pistols, revolvers and a likely heavy pistol or AP-style machine pistol, is plausible.
The compact-automatic bracket is the area where leaked footage has been most explicit. The 2022 leak referenced a Compact Submachine Gun and a Micro Submachine Gun (GTA Wiki, 2026), corresponding to MAC-style and Uzi-style archetypes that have appeared in every modern entry. A Heckler & Koch MP5/40-inspired weapon has also been catalogued from the development materials. Vice City's drug-running fiction and the Keys' smuggling milieu strongly support a six- to eight-strong SMG class, almost certainly including a suppressed variant for stealth missions, mirroring the GTA V precedent.
The mid-range rifle slot is anchored, on present evidence, by a Duke carbine and a Duke special ops carbine — Rockstar's in-fiction manufacturer branding visible in the trailer 2 screenshots — alongside an Assault Rifle model identified in leaked footage (GTA Wiki, 2026). This implies the franchise's typical AK-pattern and M4-pattern split, augmented by at least one bullpup or modernised carbine to differentiate the late-game arsenal. A five- to seven-rifle class is the most likely outcome, with magnified-optic and red-dot variants probably handled via attachment rather than discrete SKU, given Rockstar's prior Mk II customisation work in GTA Online.
Trailer evidence for shotguns has thus far been thin, with only an unnamed double-barrelled shotgun confirmed in official imagery (GTA Wiki, 2026). However, the absence of pump-action and semi-automatic shotguns from public material almost certainly reflects deliberate marketing reticence rather than design omission: every mainline GTA since III has shipped with at least three shotgun variants. Expect a class of four to five weapons covering sawn-off, pump-action, semi-automatic and a heavy or assault shotgun, with a coach gun retained for Leonida's rural Mount Kalaga and Grassrivers regions.
A Bolt Action Sniper has been confirmed via official screenshots, while leak material additionally references a Hunter Sniper and an in-fiction Duke assault sniper rifle (GTA Wiki, 2026). The presence of a dedicated hunting rifle alongside a long-range marksman weapon mirrors Red Dead Redemption 2's structure and is consistent with the National Park setting at Mount Kalaga. A three- to four-weapon sniper class is the most credible projection.
The heavy class is the most legally and politically sensitive bracket, and Rockstar typically reserves it for late-campaign and online content. Confirmed entries include a Grenade Launcher visible in the first trailer, with a Rocket Launcher and a Speargun — the latter a Leonida-appropriate aquatic novelty — appearing in leaked material (GTA Wiki, 2026). Thrown ordnance referenced across leaks comprises grenades, flashbangs, smoke grenades, Molotovs and the franchise-favourite golf balls. A combined heavy-and-thrown bracket of eight to ten items at launch is consistent with prior entries.
Melee is the class in which GTA VI appears to be expanding most ambitiously. Confirmed melee implements already include a baseball bat, hammer, pool cue and a mini golf club, with leak data adding a knife, crowbar, fire bottle, flashlight, torch flashlight and a full set of four golf clubs (driver, iron, putter and wedge) (GTA Wiki, 2026). A melee pool of twelve to fifteen items, many environmental and context-sensitive, would represent a meaningful uplift over GTA V's eight, and aligns with the more grounded brawling animation work showcased in the second trailer.
The publicly visible evidence supports an estimated launch catalogue of sixty to seventy weapons across eight classes, broadly comparable in shape to GTA V's but with a noticeably expanded melee bench and Leonida-specific additions such as the speargun and golf-equipment set. Rockstar's customisation philosophy, the demands of a persistent online mode, and the company's eight-year development runway all suggest the figure will grow substantially in the post-launch window. Until release, however, the precise composition remains, by Rockstar's explicit design, a marketing controlled drip-feed rather than a published spec sheet.
GTA Wiki (2026) Weapons in Grand Theft Auto VI. Available at: https://gta.fandom.com/wiki/Weapons_in_GTA_VI (Accessed: 13 May 2026).
Rockstar Games (2026) Grand Theft Auto VI. Available at: https://www.rockstargames.com/VI (Accessed: 13 May 2026).
Wikipedia (2026) Grand Theft Auto VI. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_VI (Accessed: 14 May 2026).