If you were hoping for a surprise GTA 6 trailer or literally any good news from Rockstar Games this week, prepare to be disappointed. After hyping up a Rockstar announcement for November 7, prominent leaker billbil-kun has revealed what everyone can expect: Grand Theft Auto 5 is coming back to PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium on November 18, 2025. Yes, the same game that launched in 2013 and has already been on PS Plus twice before. The timing couldn’t be worse, coming just one day after Rockstar announced GTA 6 has been delayed yet again to November 2026.
What billbil-kun Actually Said
On November 6, billbil-kun from Dealabs, who has an impressive track record for accurately leaking PlayStation Plus lineups, teased that Rockstar would be making an announcement. But unlike typical leaks where insiders build hype, he immediately tempered expectations by warning it was “something probably much people won’t care about” and clarifying it wasn’t a remaster. He basically told everyone it was going to be a nothing burger, and he wasn’t wrong.
The announcement billbil-kun was referring to is the November 2025 PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium lineup, which Sony typically reveals on the second Wednesday of each month. This time that falls on November 12, with the games becoming available on November 18. According to his leak, GTA 5 will be returning to the service for its third stint, staying available until approximately May 2026.
Why This Feels Like a Slap in the Face
Let’s talk about timing. On November 6, Take-Two Interactive held its quarterly earnings call where Rockstar Games dropped the bombshell that GTA 6 has been delayed from May 2026 to November 19, 2026. This is the second major delay for what might be the most anticipated video game in history. The original plan was a fall 2025 release, which got pushed to May 2026, and now we’re looking at nearly another full year of waiting.
So naturally, when a reliable leaker says Rockstar has an announcement coming, fans immediately start speculating. Maybe it’s a third trailer to ease the pain? Perhaps some gameplay footage? A behind-the-scenes development update? Nope. It’s a 12-year-old game that literally everyone on the planet has already played coming back to a subscription service it’s already been on twice. It’s the equivalent of ordering a pizza and getting a coupon for a different pizza instead.
GTA 5’s PS Plus History
This isn’t even close to being GTA 5’s first rodeo on PlayStation Plus. The game first joined the service in December 2023, shortly after celebrating its tenth anniversary. That initial run lasted about six months before it was removed in mid-June 2024. Then just five months later in November 2024, it came back for a second six-month stint that ended in late May 2025. Now here we are again, barely six months after it left, and it’s making its grand return.
The pattern is pretty clear at this point. Rockstar and Sony have worked out some kind of rotating agreement where GTA 5 stays on PS Plus for about six months, takes a break for a similar period, and then comes back. Given that billbil-kun reports this third stint will follow the same timeline, expect GTA 5 to disappear again around May 2026, just in time for everyone to pretend to care about GTA 6’s actual release in November 2026.
Who Is This Even For?
Here’s the thing about GTA 5 that makes this announcement particularly underwhelming. The game has sold 220 million copies. That’s not a typo. It’s the second best-selling video game of all time, only behind Minecraft. If you own a PlayStation console and wanted to play GTA 5 at any point in the last 12 years, you’ve had approximately 4,380 opportunities to do so. The game goes on deep discount during every major sale, was literally given away for free on Epic Games Store in 2020, and has already been available on PS Plus twice.
The audience for “people who have PS Plus Extra or Premium subscriptions, want to play GTA 5, but haven’t gotten around to it despite the game being available for over a decade” has to be incredibly small. Sure, there might be some younger gamers experiencing it for the first time, or people returning to Los Santos before GTA 6 drops, but calling this an “announcement” worthy of hype is generous at best.
The Bigger Picture
This situation highlights a frustrating reality about Rockstar’s communication strategy. The studio is notoriously secretive and rarely engages with fans outside of major announcements. They’ve only released two trailers for GTA 6 despite the game being in development for years. The first trailer dropped in December 2023 and the second came earlier in 2025, with the latter garnering over 100 million views. Since then? Radio silence.
When you create that kind of information vacuum, fans will latch onto literally anything that looks like news. A random leaker saying Rockstar has an announcement sends people into speculation overdrive because they’re starving for any morsel of content. The fact that the actual announcement is just GTA 5 returning to a subscription service makes the communication drought feel even worse.
What’s Actually Worth Getting Excited About
If you’re a PS Plus subscriber looking for something genuinely interesting this month, you’re better off checking out November’s free monthly games which are already available. The lineup includes Stray, that adorable cat adventure game that became a surprise hit, EA Sports WRC 24 for racing fans, and Totally Accurate Battle Simulator for physics-based chaos. All three are claimable until December 1 for Essential tier subscribers.
The full PS Plus Extra and Premium lineup for November will be officially announced on November 12, with games becoming available on November 18. Besides GTA 5, we know Tomb Raider Anniversary is confirmed for Premium tier after getting delayed from October. Sony hasn’t revealed what else is coming, though several games are leaving the service on November 18 including Battlefield V, Digimon Survivor, Football Manager 2024, and Yakuza Like a Dragon Ishin.
The Irony Isn’t Lost on Anyone
There’s something darkly funny about Rockstar celebrating a GTA 6 delay by immediately offering everyone the previous game again. It’s like they’re saying “Sorry GTA 6 got pushed back another year, but hey, remember this thing you’ve already played? It’s yours again for six months!” Some fans on social media have called it a sick joke, rubbing salt in fresh wounds. Others see it as Rockstar trying to keep people engaged with the franchise during the extended wait.
The more cynical interpretation is that this is just business as usual. Rockstar and Sony likely arranged this rotation months ago, and the timing lining up with the GTA 6 delay is pure coincidence. PlayStation Plus needs recognizable titles to maintain subscriber interest, and GTA 5 still has massive name recognition even if most people already own it. It’s a safe choice that generates headlines without requiring any actual new content.
FAQs
When is GTA 5 coming to PlayStation Plus in November 2025?
According to the leak from billbil-kun, GTA 5 will be added to PlayStation Plus Extra and Premium tiers on November 18, 2025.
How long will GTA 5 stay on PS Plus this time?
Based on the pattern from previous appearances, GTA 5 is expected to remain on the service for approximately six months, likely until May 2026.
Is GTA 5 available for PS Plus Essential subscribers?
No, GTA 5 will only be available for PS Plus Extra and Premium tier subscribers, not the basic Essential tier.
Has GTA 5 been on PS Plus before?
Yes, this will be the third time GTA 5 appears on PlayStation Plus. It was previously available from December 2023 to June 2024, and again from November 2024 to May 2025.
Who is billbil-kun and why is he reliable?
Billbil-kun is a leaker from the French deals site Dealabs who has an excellent track record for accurately predicting PlayStation Plus lineups and other gaming announcements before official reveals.
When was GTA 6 delayed to?
GTA 6 was delayed to November 19, 2026. This is the second major delay after the game was originally planned for fall 2025, then pushed to May 2026.
When will Sony officially announce the full PS Plus November 2025 lineup?
Sony typically announces PS Plus Extra and Premium games on the second Wednesday of each month, which falls on November 12, 2025.
What other games are coming to PS Plus in November 2025?
Besides GTA 5 for Extra/Premium, Tomb Raider Anniversary is confirmed for Premium tier. The full lineup will be revealed on November 12.
Conclusion
The Rockstar announcement that got everyone’s hopes up turned out to be exactly what billbil-kun warned us about – a whole lot of nothing. GTA 5 returning to PlayStation Plus for the third time in two years isn’t news, it’s a scheduled rotation that happens to have terrible timing given the GTA 6 delay. While GTA 5 remains an excellent game that deserves its legendary status, offering it up again right after disappointing fans with another year-long delay feels tone deaf at best. If you’re one of the handful of people who somehow hasn’t played GTA 5 yet and has a PS Plus Extra or Premium subscription, November 18 is your chance. For everyone else, this announcement is just another reminder that we’re still over a year away from finally getting our hands on GTA 6.