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GTA 6 YouTube Channel Ideas: 7 Ways to Make Money on YouTube

Launch-day streams, walkthrough parts, system explainers, comparisons, sleep videos, curious questions and guides: what each channel is, who already does it well and how to start before November 19.

By the GameSight team11 min read

Watch on GameSight: 7 ways to make money on YouTube with GTA 6 · 14:45

This article is the written companion to our video. Watch it on YouTube and subscribe to GameSight for every GTA 6 breakdown.

In this article
  1. Before you start: 2 YouTube rules for GTA 6 channels
  2. The easy start: launch-day streams and walkthrough parts
  3. Explainer channels: how GTA 6 works and how it compares
  4. Two formats people watch for hours: sleep videos and curious questions
  5. Way 7, our number one: GTA 6 tips, tricks and guides
  6. The 7 GTA 6 channel ideas compared
  7. Our take: your plan, starting today
  8. FAQ

The best GTA 6 YouTube channel ideas don't need a studio: they need the game, a way to record it and one clear format. Here are 7 formats already proven on GTA 5 and other open-world games, from streaming launch day on November 19, 2026, to our number one, tips and guides, with real examples, how to start and what to record.

Before you start: 2 YouTube rules for GTA 6 channels

Rule 1: qualify before February 1, 2027

Official YouTube shares ad revenue with Partner Program channels once they have 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 public watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days. From February 1, 2027, new channels will need 8,000 hours or 20 million Shorts views. GTA 6's launch falls just before that, so starting now gives you a chance to qualify under today's rules.

Official On long videos, creators get 55% of the ad revenue, and videos of 8 minutes or more can carry mid-roll ads. For what that's worth per 1,000 views, see our guide to making money with GTA 6.

Rule 2: make it yours

Official YouTube doesn't monetize templated, mass-produced videos, and its help page on game content warns:

Videos simply showing a user playing a video game … for extended periods of time may not be accepted for monetization.

YouTube Help, "Video game and software content"

Official The same page says game videos can be monetized when step-by-step commentary is tied to what's on screen and teaches something. YouTube pays for what you add: commentary, teaching, entertainment, your own voice.

Official Watch the violence. Gameplay violence later in a video can still earn full ads, but graphic violence in your thumbnail gets limited ads, and in the first 7 seconds it can mean no ads at all.

The easy start: launch-day streams and walkthrough parts

Way 1: Stream GTA 6 on launch day

The simplest GTA 6 channel: go live on launch day and play the first hours. Reported Big launches pull huge crowds. Elden Ring peaked at 910,225 Twitch viewers on launch day, February 25, 2022, according to TwitchTracker, and Hogwarts Legacy's 1.28 million is the Guinness World Record for a single-player game on Twitch. When Rockstar streamed GTA 6's gameplay reveal on August 27, 2026, Streams Charts counted 3.97 million people watching at once.

Official You don't need a PC. On a PS5, press the Create button, choose Broadcast, link your YouTube or Twitch account and go live. Xbox Series X|S has Twitch streaming built in.

  • Schedule it a few days early, so people can set a reminder, and title it the way people search: "GTA 6 Launch Day Live".
  • Keep it public afterwards. Official On YouTube, public livestreams you keep on your channel count toward your watch hours.
  • Don't wait to be perfect. No camera, no problem: your gameplay is the show.
  • Cut the best moments into Shorts: a funny NPC, a crazy chase, your first look at Vice City. Shorts are how new channels get found.

What to record: the whole session live, then short clips of the highlights.

Way 2: Record a GTA 6 walkthrough in parts

Not a streamer? Just play, and don't forget to record.

Official A PS5 records up to 1 hour at a time, in 1080p or, with a compatible display, 4K: press Create, start a new recording and play. Then copy it to a USB drive and upload it from your computer. On Xbox Series X|S, you can record up to 60 minutes to an external drive.

Official If you can talk, add commentary: Share Factory Studio, the free PS5 editor, lets you record your voice over the gameplay. If not, do it the basic way: no editing, a simple thumbnail, one-hour parts.

  • The same title every time: "GTA 6 Walkthrough Part 1 - No Commentary", then the mission name.
  • One playlist, so people who finish Part 1 go straight to Part 2.
  • One part a day, so the channel grows while you play.
  • Stop before the ending for the first few weeks: nobody wants launch week spoiled.

Does it work? MKIceAndFire's 17-hour "GTA 5 Gameplay Walkthrough FULL GAME [4K 60FPS] - No Commentary" has 10.5 million views, and its PS5 version another 7.72 million. RGR29's "Part 1" alone has 1.47 million. NexLev estimates the 10.5-million-view video has earned about $47,000 from ads, at an RPM of around $4.50.

The catch is Rule 2: plain gameplay is great for views and watch hours, but your voice, or a good edit, is what makes it earn.

What to record: everything, from the first minute, in 1-hour sessions.

A member of Real Dimez in a recording studio, holding a pair of headphones beside a mixing desk, a desk fan and a lava lamp
Real Dimez in the studio. Your own voice over the gameplay is what YouTube's gaming rules reward.Image: Rockstar Games

Explainer channels: how GTA 6 works and how it compares

Way 3: A channel about how GTA 6 works

More work, so fewer channels will do it: story-driven videos about one system inside GTA 6. How the weather works, how animals behave, how the water moves (the internet loves water physics), how NPCs react to you. Then compare it with older GTA games or Red Dead Redemption 2.

Official Rockstar has already confirmed that police collect reports on what you looked like, that your clothes, hair and car can give you away, and that your partner texts you once you've lost the cops. Reported Previews also say cash you're carrying can be lost. Each is a video: Do GTA 6's cops really remember your outfit? What happens to your money when you get busted? Ask the question, run the test, compare it with GTA 5, give your verdict.

The proof: GameBest's "20 Insane Details in Red Dead Redemption 2" has 9.88 million views. GRANDOS's "Crazy Realistic ANIMAL Behavior in Red Dead Redemption 2 PC" has about 97,000. And frututi's "Jumping Into Water: GTA 1 to GTA 6" got 146,000 views in its first month.

What to record: short, repeatable tests of one system, plus the same moment in older games you own.

A cougar creeping along a muddy stream bank toward deer drinking at the water's edge in a forest
Wildlife in Mount Kalaga National Park. How animals behave could fill a video series on its own.Image: Rockstar Games

Way 4: The comparison channel

This channel is built entirely on direct comparisons: GTA 6 against Vice City, San Andreas, GTA IV and GTA V.

ENXGMA's "Evolution of RAIN LOGIC in GTA Games" has 3.33 million views, and its "Evolution of WATER LOGIC" has 1.53 million. BlaZe 92's "How Water Physics have changed in GTA Games?" has 1.7 million.

You never run out of topics: walking, swimming, shooting, NPCs, animals, water, flying. What you invest is time. Pick one test, like driving a car into the sea or punching someone in front of a cop, record it the same way in every game and put the clips side by side. GTA 6 gives every one of these channels a brand-new chapter; our GTA 6 vs GTA 5 differences are a head start.

What to record: one test, filmed the same way in every GTA you own.

A sunny aerial view of Vice City: a basketball court, low-rise hotels, a canal and palm trees in front of a downtown skyline
Vice City by day. Comparison channels set the same test side by side in every GTA.Image: Rockstar Games

Two formats people watch for hours: sleep videos and curious questions

Way 5: GTA 6 sleep videos

Lots of people put a video on to fall asleep. Relaxing Stormwalker's "10 Hours Los Santos Night Drive GTA V Heavy Rain Sounds" has 375,000 views in 10 months, and a newer "Rain On Window" version got 188,000 in its first month. Trivia works too: Vitão GTA's "2+ Hours of GTA San Andreas Facts and Trivia to Fall Asleep To" has 433,000 views in 4 months.

Viewers watch for hours. NexLev estimates the 375,000-view rain drive earns about $13.11 per 1,000 views (range: $7.53 to $18.69), close to 3 times its estimate for the walkthrough, and about $4,920 so far.

Official One caveat: YouTube can place mid-roll ads automatically in videos of 8 minutes or more, but slots aren't guaranteed to serve, and its help page says meditation videos may not suit mid-rolls. Our read: calm videos earn from long viewing, not an ad every few minutes.

To make one, drive slowly around Vice City at night in the rain, with the HUD hidden if the settings allow, or sit under a roof in a thunderstorm.

  • Radio off. GTA's radio stations play real licensed songs, which can trigger copyright claims on YouTube.
  • Move slowly, at night, in the rain. No shooting, no chases.
  • Give it an honest title, like "Vice City Night Drive, Rain Sounds, 10 Hours".

What to record: one long, calm, uninterrupted take per video.

A quiet street at night with the neon sign of the Starlet Motel, palm trees and a parked pickup truck
Night in Port Gellhorn. Slow, quiet scenes like this are what sleep videos are made of.Image: Rockstar Games

Way 6: The curious-question channel

Storytelling takes more skill, but the numbers are huge. Any Austin (1.6 million subscribers, 192.6 million views across 409 videos) asks strange, simple questions about games:

  • "GTA5 Has Rivers You've Never Seen": 7.98 million views in about a month
  • "Can You Live An Average Life In Skyrim?": 4.25 million
  • "Are Grand Theft Auto's Airports Realistic?": 3.62 million
  • "Where Do Red Dead Redemption 2's Rivers Come From?": 3.19 million

Official GTA 6 is a huge new playground: Rockstar told Game Informer that Leonida is twice as large as GTA V's map (see our GTA 6 map guide). Are GTA 6's airports realistic? Where do GTA 6's rivers come from? What is Vice City's unemployment rate? Can you live an average life in Vice City?

The formula: one simple question nobody has asked. Find out inside the game. Compare it with the real world (real airports, real rivers, real Florida: Vice City is GTA's Miami). Add your own humor, and people watch for 30 minutes.

What to record: your investigation, and the shots that prove the answer.

A kayaker paddling down a forest river past a water-level gauge, with a steel railway bridge behind
A river in Mount Kalaga National Park. Where it comes from is exactly the kind of question this format asks.Image: Rockstar Games

Way 7, our number one: GTA 6 tips, tricks and guides

GTA 5 already proved these formats:

  • Saintsfan's "GTA 5 - Get Into Military Base With No Stars": 10.2 million views
  • IGN's "GTA 5: 41 Tiny Mind-Blowing Things": 9.9 million
  • MrBossFTW's "20 Things That ALL NEW Players Need To Know About In GTA Online!": 1.38 million
  • LKG's "7 Things to Know Before Playing the GTA 5 Story Mode!": 767,000

And it has already started for GTA 6: Nino's "GTA 6 for Beginners (Everything You Need to Know)" got 110,000 views in its first 7 days, before the game is even out.

Don't reinvent the wheel: "The Only GTA 6 Beginner's Guide You Need", "7 Things to Know Before Playing the GTA 6 Story Mode", "101 Tips Every GTA 6 Player Should Know". As you play, share what nobody has covered yet.

Timing matters most here. Guides get searched the most in the first weeks after launch: "best way to make money in GTA 6", "best first car", "how to lose the cops". If your guide is up while everyone's searching, it takes off, and every tip can also be a Short.

Why number one? Our read: guides teach, which YouTube's gaming rules reward; they answer what people search for; and they use footage you're recording anyway.

What to record: every useful thing you discover, the moment you discover it.

A busy street in the Leonida Keys: an iguana crossing the road, a woman on a mobility scooter, a man cycling with a dog and a crowd beside a shuttle bus
A street in the Leonida Keys. Everything new you notice as you play can become a tip video.Image: Rockstar Games

The 7 GTA 6 channel ideas compared

Effort is our judgment; view counts are as of October 15, 2026.

WayChannel ideaEffortReal exampleWhat to record
1Launch-day streamsLowElden Ring: 910,225 Twitch viewers on launch dayYour first hours, live
2Walkthrough partsLowMKIceAndFire's GTA 5 walkthrough: 10.5M viewsThe story, in 1-hour parts
3How GTA 6 worksMediumGameBest's 20 RDR2 details: 9.88M viewsRepeatable tests of one system
4ComparisonsMedium, mostly timeENXGMA's rain logic: 3.33M viewsThe same test in every GTA
5Sleep videosLowRelaxing Stormwalker's 10-hour rain drive: 375K viewsLong, slow, calm takes
6Curious questionsHighAny Austin's GTA 5 rivers: 7.98M views in a monthYour investigation and the proof
7Tips, tricks and guidesMediumSaintsfan's military base guide: 10.2M viewsEvery useful discovery

Our take: your plan, starting today

Our read: launch week will be crowded. Official YouTube already had more than 40 million active gaming channels in 2020. Picking one format and starting before November 19 matters more than which one you pick:

  1. Today: pick one of the seven. Just one.
  2. This week: set up your channel: a name, a profile picture, a banner.
  3. Before launch: post your first videos. You don't need the game: the trailers and official screenshots are out, and that's how our own GameSight videos are made.
  4. A few days before launch: schedule your launch-day stream.
  5. Launch day: go live, and record everything.
  6. Launch week: one upload a day: a walkthrough part, a guide, a Short.

FAQ

Can you make money on YouTube with GTA 6?

You can, once your channel joins the YouTube Partner Program: today that takes 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 public watch hours in 12 months, or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days. Your videos also need to add commentary, teaching or entertainment, not just gameplay. Earnings vary widely, and nothing is guaranteed.

What are the best GTA 6 YouTube channel ideas?

Launch-day streams, walkthrough parts, how-the-game-works videos, comparisons, sleep videos, curious-question videos, and tips, tricks and guides. Our number one is guides, because they're searched the most in the first weeks after launch.

What changes for YouTube monetization in 2027?

From February 1, 2027, new channels need 1,000 subscribers plus 8,000 public watch hours in 12 months, or 20 million Shorts views in 90 days, to earn from ads. That's double today's bar, so channels starting around GTA 6's November 19 launch can still aim to qualify under the old rules.

How do you record and stream GTA 6 on PS5 or Xbox?

On PS5, press Create and start a new recording (up to 1 hour at a time), then copy it to a USB drive and upload it from a computer; Create, then Broadcast, streams live to YouTube or Twitch. Xbox Series X|S records up to 60 minutes to an external drive and has Twitch built in.

Do no-commentary GTA 6 walkthroughs make money?

They can get big views: one no-commentary GTA 5 walkthrough has 10.5 million. But YouTube says long videos that simply show someone playing may not be accepted for monetization, while commentary that teaches something can be.

Sources

The GameSight team

We research GTA 6 from official sources and label every claim as official, reported or rumor. How we work · GameSight on YouTube

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