GTA 6 News Today (October 28, 2026): Rockstar Union Vote

Rockstar's staff in the UK will vote from November 12 to 26 on whether the studio recognises their union, a window that wraps around GTA 6's November 19 launch (The Verge, IGN, Game Developer, Eurogamer). The same outlets now put the closing submissions of the Glasgow tribunal over last year's firings on November 17 and 18. On the music side, Justice's "Flower in a Hurricane" entered the Billboard Hot 100. Nothing changed on dates or prices: GTA 6 still launches November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with preloading from November 12.

Rockstar staff vote on union recognition, November 12 to 26

The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) announced the vote in a press release on October 27. Rockstar employees will decide whether the studio formally recognises the IWGB Rockstar Game Workers Union, with voting open from November 12, the day preloading starts, to November 26, a week after launch (The Verge, IGN, Game Developer).

The terms were agreed between workers and management after months of talks, according to the release as Rock Paper Shotgun and IGN quote it. Recognition would give staff a say on pay and bonuses, overtime, redundancies, flexible working and generative AI policies (IGN, Rock Paper Shotgun). If the vote passes, the IWGB says it becomes "the biggest recognised union in the UK games sector" (The Verge, IGN).

Shanti Easton-Steel, a Rockstar North production coordinator on the union's committee, said: "This November, we have the chance to make gaming history not once but twice" (IGN, Game Developer). IWGB president Alex Marshall called the vote "just as historic as the game release" (IGN). None of the reports carries a new comment from Rockstar. Earlier this month, head of publishing Jennifer Kolbe told Bloomberg: "if they want a union, they will have a union," as we covered on October 14.

Sources: The Verge; IGN; Game Developer; Eurogamer; Rock Paper Shotgun; Bloomberg Businessweek

Tribunal closing submissions set for November 17 and 18

The vote runs separately from the employment tribunal in Glasgow, where more than 30 former staff, backed by the IWGB, say Rockstar fired them unlawfully in late 2025 and Rockstar says it dismissed them for gross misconduct (Game Developer, Eurogamer). IGN and Game Developer both now give November 17 and 18 for the closing submissions. We listed those dates under Not confirmed on October 14 because only Eurogamer had them; with more outlets reporting them, they move to Coming up below. Rock Paper Shotgun adds that the judge's decision will still take a while after that.

Sources: IGN; Game Developer; Eurogamer; Rock Paper Shotgun

"Flower in a Hurricane" enters the Hot 100

Justice's "Flower in a Hurricane," with Tame Impala, SZA and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, debuts at No. 62 on Billboard's Hot 100 dated October 31, with 4.6 million US streams in its first tracking week (October 16 to 22), according to Billboard's own chart report. It also starts at No. 2 on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs. It is the third song from Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album to reach the Hot 100, after Morgan Wallen's "Last Thing You Need" (peak No. 9) and Travis Scott's "Rhyno" (No. 84), both of which entered on the chart dated October 3. The song is the ninth single from the 34-track album, which arrives with the game on November 19. More on our song page and radio hub.

Sources: Billboard

What it means for players

Our take: the union vote does not touch your launch. None of the reports we read mentions a strike or any action around November 19, and the vote is on recognition terms that workers and management already agreed, so read it as labor news, not a delay signal. It matters more for what comes after launch. Easton-Steel names job security after release as a worry, and GTA 5 shows how much of a Rockstar game's life comes after it ships: more than a decade of updates. GTA 6 has no announced online mode yet, but whatever follows the launch, a recognised union would have a say in how that work is staffed. Our practical advice is unchanged: preload from November 12, and don't read anything into the tribunal dates. A ruling will come later, and neither side has linked the case to the release date.

Not confirmed

• A 50-track "Grand Theft Auto VI: Original Score" by Justice on December 11. Apple Music's New Zealand store shows a pre-release album with that name, 50 tracks and that date when we read it on October 28, credited to Take-Two under license to Ed Banger Records and Because Music. The same album page did not load on the US store, Rockstar has not announced it, and only GAMINGbible and fan sites have reported it so far. We are not listing track names. Update, October 29: Rockstar has now announced Grand Theft Auto VI: Original Score for December 11, with 30 tracks plus a number of digital bonus tracks. Rockstar gave no total, so the listing's 50 may count the bonus tracks; see our Original Score page.
• A 210 GB PS5 download. GameSpot and Polygon now carry the figure too, but every report still cites the same X account, PlayStation Game Size. Rockstar, Sony and Microsoft have not posted a size.
• Review copies and a November 18 embargo. Still only an insider and Insider Gaming.
• The Miami-Dade vote and the "Vice Beach" deal. No local report of either since our October 27 roundup.
• The PC window and who plays Jason and Lucia. Rockstar has announced neither.

Coming up

1. October 29: Edge 430 goes on sale, and its 16-page GTA 6 feature goes up free on GamesRadar+.
2. Early November: participating Skinny Louie's restaurants in Florida switch to Burger Shot, through December 31.
3. November 9: Take-Two's earnings report after the US market close, with a call at 4:30 PM Eastern.
4. November 12: preloading starts at local midnight, and Rockstar's union vote opens.
5. November 17: last day of GTA 5 in the PS Plus Game Catalog.
6. November 17 and 18: closing submissions at the Glasgow tribunal.
7. November 18: the Miami Heat's "A Night in Vice City" game at the Kaseya Center.
8. November 19: the game and Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album.
9. November 26: the union vote closes.
10. December 10: The Game Awards 2026, with GTA 6 eligible.