Yesterday, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) officially announced a strike involving video game voice actors. With the strike commencing, numerous games currently in development will be impacted by the labor disputes. However, there is one notable exception that stands out - Rockstar Games' highly anticipated open-world game, Grand Theft Auto 6.

Grand Theft Auto 6, commonly referred to as GTA 6, has been confirmed to be exempt from the video game voice actor strike, as reported by Kotaku and independently verified by IGN. Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games, declined to comment on the exemption.

The strike initiated at midnight on July 26 and SAG-AFTRA has provided a database search tool on their website, allowing their members to determine the struck status of various video game projects. According to the database, GTA 6 is not struck but is produced by a struck company.

Under the previous contractual agreement between SAG-AFTRA and gaming companies, games already in production before August 25, 2023, including live service games, are covered. While GTA 6 remains unaffected by the voice actor strike, actors still have the choice to show solidarity with fellow union members by not signing new contracts for the game. However, actors who decide to work on GTA 6 will not face discipline for doing so.

Grand Theft Auto 6 was officially revealed in December 2023, with its first trailer becoming a massive success on YouTube. It quickly became the most-viewed video game reveal within 24 hours. The game is set in a fictionalized version of modern-day Florida and players will control a character named Lucia, along with an unnamed male character, speculated by fans to be called Jason.

Initially, Rockstar Games confirmed that GTA 6 would be released in 2025. However, in May 2024, Take-Two Interactive's CEO, Strauss Zelnick, revealed in an interview with IGN that the game would be released in Fall 2025 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, expressing high confidence in avoiding any delays.

While GTA 6 remains unaffected by the ongoing voice actor strike, it is important to acknowledge that the gaming industry as a whole will still experience the effects of this labor dispute. For more information on the strike and its impact on gamers, refer to our FAQ section which discusses the reasons behind the voice actors' strike and the union's push for artificial intelligence (AI) protections in future contracts.