Grand Theft Auto V Announced by Rockstar Games

The next installment in the GTA franchise is coming!

Ten years to the month after the release of GTA III, Rockstar has released the simple image above on their site, Rockstargames.com. And all you need to know--all there is to know, actually--is in that one little title and date: we're getting a trailer for the next numbered entry in the Grand Theft Auto series next week (on Wednesday, for those of you without calendars).

Your guess is as good as mine what sort of shape the next entry in the series will take, given the pretty sharp departure from the norm that GTA IV and its more serious overall tone/feel. I mean, it was still a GTA game but Rockstar wasn't as interested in letting you strap on a jetpack or hijack an airplane. I'm guessing they're leaving that to the Saints Rowfranchise.

Whatever move the company makes with the next installment series, the world is watching. Seriously, as of this writing, "GTA V" and "Grand Theft Auto V," were a couple of the top trends on Twitter. And randomly, "San Andreas," although maybe that's simply fan speculation that the next entry will be set in the fictional West Coast location that gave us the aforementioned jetpacks and plan-jacking. Personally, I'd love for the series to head back to Vice City--garish 80's excesses and all--but Rockstar seems to be all about looking forward these days and I'll just have to resign myself to no more Tommy Vercetti running errands for Voodoo priestesses.