The top pre-release look at GTA 6 will be live streamed on Netflix, but will the stream really be worth paying for?

Here’s a new one! Streaming platform Netflix has teamed up with Rockstar games to offer “an extended look” at arguably the most anticipated video game of all time, Grand Theft Auto 6. And it’ll only be available to Netflix members.

The entertainment giants have announced the stream will become available on Thursday August 27 at 3:00pm ET (that’s 8:00pm UK time). That’s still eleven weeks prior to the release of the game itself, which becomes available on November 19.

In a blog post, Netflix points out that, when the last version of GTA arrived in 2013, the company had just begun dipping its toes into original content with the likes of House of Cards and Orange is the New Black.

It’s not clear what form this extended look will take – or how long it’ll be – but I imagine it’ll be similar to what we’ve seen developers and publishers slap on Twitch and YouTube in the hope of catching the most eyeballs. Usually this sort of thing is to drum up consumer interest in buying the game. But GTA 6 doesn’t really need that. The stature of GTA means even a preview is worthy of going behind the paywall, where people will pay to see what they’ll be paying to play a couple of months later. There’s likely to be loads of gameplay footage, possibly some behind the scenes footage, and maybe some interviews with the key creators if precedent is followed.

“Grand Theft Auto reveals have become cultural moments in their own right. The anticipation and fandom around Grand Theft Auto VI is unprecedented, and we’re honored that Rockstar Games has partnered with us to debut the next part of the Grand Theft Auto story with Netflix members first,” says Brandon Riegg, VP of Nonfiction Series.

“It’s a reflection of what we hope Netflix is becoming: a place where the most ambitious storytelling, from any medium, can find the biggest possible audience.”