For decades, GLOCK has been one of the industry’s most successful and trusted handgun manufacturers, offering a wide range of pistols for enthusiasts of all experience levels. Known well for their reliability and simplistic design, they’ve earned a reputation that few other brands have been able to replicate.
GLOCK pistols have changed considerably since their initial inception, something that our Guide to GLOCK Generations covers in detail. But it’s worth pointing out that when that article was released, the Gen 5 design was the latest iteration offered by GLOCK at the time. But now, this is no longer the case.
Announced in December 2025 and hitting shelves soon, GLOCK’s Gen 6 design is officially here. These pistols are packed to the brim with new features, revamping the tried-and-true design without compromising quality or reliability. Follow along as we get into what you can expect from GLOCK’s new Gen 6 pistols.
What is GLOCK Gen 6?
GLOCK Gen 6 is Glock’s 6th-generation pistol lineup featuring updated ergonomics and a new optic-ready system. Replacing the Gen 5 and Model V, these new pistols boast a serious number of upgrades.
Frame Enhancements
One of the most noticeable changes GLOCK has introduced is the redesigned frame. Gen 6 pistol frames have been recontoured and reshaped to offer superior comfort, and they even have some new features too. One such feature is its new palm-swell grip that’s designed to fit better within the natural curvature of the user’s hand. Additionally, they also come standard with an enlarged beavertail and an undercut trigger guard, allowing you to get a higher grip on the pistol, while also keeping your hands safe from slide bite.
Plus, these pistols now boast GLOCK’s all-new RTF-6 grip texture, a blend of their popular RTF-2 and RTF-4 textures. Compared to their previous grip textures, the RTF-6 design is extremely grippy, and it covers far more of the frame this go around. Gen 6 pistols have this texture on all sides of the frame, and it even covers some of its new features too.
What was once one of the go-to aftermarket upgrades is now the standard—Gen 6 pistol frames now come with a flared thumb rest, better known as the gas pedal. This extra bit of frame gives you more leverage to place extra downward pressure onto the pistol when firing for better recoil control. And since it has the RTF-6 texture on it, you don’t have to worry about your thumb accidentally slipping off it when firing. Also, although the thumb rest protrudes a bit, the difference in width compared to previous models is miniscule. Rounding out the frame, Gen 6 pistols also sport a larger slide stop shelf, as well as a flared magazine well for quicker reloads.
Lastly, while not strictly a frame upgrade per se, the trigger has seen a large update as well. GLOCK’s new Gen 6 trigger design has ditched the curved trigger face in favor of a flat one. It still makes use of the legendary Safe Action® System, ensuring both reliability and safety, but the newer flat-facing design offers a more intuitive trigger pull, while also allowing more consistent and repeatable trigger finger placement.
Slide Updates
The slides for the Gen 6 pistols have seen a number of updates too. For starters, it sports some new geometry to be compatible with its upgraded internals, and externally, Gen 6 slides have improved serrations for better grip.
Not that there was anything wrong with the slide serrations on their previous pistols, but the updated design now features deeper, angled serrations that offer far more grip. And, there are now more serrations on both the front and rear portions of the pistol slide, giving you full control of it at all times.
Optic Mounting System
Of the Gen 6’s slide alterations, the most noticeable is its new optic mounting system. Optic-ready GLOCK pistols previously made of use of GLOCK’s Modular Optic Systems, or MOS. The MOS design was a gamechanger when it was first released. Before, handguns either came with no optic mounting capabilities, or they were cut to fit specific optic mounting footprints. The MOS system was different in that it used specialized adapter plates that basically made GLOCK pistols compatible with just about every optic available.
Overall, it was, and still is, a solid optic mounting system, but it isn’t without its flaws. Since it requires you to use adapter plates, mounted optics have a rather high mount height. This often blocks the iron sights, requiring you to either opt for MOS-specific optics or swap out your pistol’s iron sights to have a good cowitness.
GLOCK’s new Optic Ready System fixes this as it allows you to directly mount optics with an RMR or DPP mounting footprint to the slide. It still makes use of adapter plates, but they serve as a support for the optic rather than a direct mounting surface, so your optics will still sit much closer to slide compared to how they would on MOS models. The end result is a less protrusive optic setup that’s easier to conceal for EDC use, while being capable of cowitnessing with lower height iron sights.
GLOCK Gen 6 Pistol Models
Given the many new features the Gen 6 design has to offer, you’re likely wondering what models are going to be available when they release. As of writing this, there have been three confirmed models available: the G17, G19, and the G45.
Confirmed Pistol Models
The Gen 6 GLOCK G17, much like its previous iterations, is GLOCK’s full-size 9mm pistol offering and comes equipped with a 4.47-inch barrel and a standard magazine capacity of 17 rounds. Something that’s new however is its recoil spring—it uses a shorter spring and guide rod like the G47. As such, you can essentially view the new Gen 6 G17 as the replacement for the G47, giving the new G17 the benefit of being compatible with Gen 6 G19 slide assemblies. Regardless, with it being a full-size pistol that comes with all the upgrades mentioned above, it’s a solid handgun that excels in defensive competitive and duty applications.
For everyday carry and personal defense, the Gen 6 GLOCK G19 is where it’s at. Coming with a shorter 4.02-inch barrel, and a standard capacity of 15 rounds, it’s compact enough to be a practical choice for EDC use, while also being large enough to be a dedicated home-defense gun.
The third and final pistol available in the initial Gen 6 lineup is the GLOCK G45, one of GLOCK’s most popular 9mm pistols. Blending the full-size grip and capacity of the G17 with the compact slide and barrel of the G19, the G45 is an excellent carry-sized pistol. Its blended design gives it a unique profile, allowing it to be suitable for all applications.
Will there be other models?
Although no other pistols have been confirmed yet, we can likely expect GLOCK to release more Gen 6 pistols soon.
Looking back at the Gen 5’s release back in 2017, the G19 and G17 pistols were the first ones introduced to the market. But, not long after this, GLOCK released updated Gen 5 variants of their previous pistols like the G26 and G21, as well as entirely new models like the G45 and their concealed carry optimized Slimline pistol series.
So, with this in mind, we can expect to see a plethora of new Gen 6 pistol models in the near future.
Glock Gen 6 Release Date: What’s Official
Given the hype surrounding GLOCK’s upcoming Gen 6 pistol launch, one of the big questions on seemingly everyone’s mind is, “when will the Gen 6 be available?”. As mentioned above, GLOCK announced the Gen 6 on December 6th, 2025, with them further announcing a projected launch date of January 20th, 2026.
As such, you can expect to see these pistols available very soon—in fact, Gen 6 pistols that are a part of the GLOCK Blue Label program are already available. But being that this is the first major redesign they’ve come out with since the Gen 5 and Model V designs, demand for these pistols is going to be very high. And although they might sell out quickly, they won’t be gone forever.
Conclusion
With the upcoming GLOCK Gen 6 drop fast approaching, there is a lot to look forward to. With the revamped design offering a lot of features that previously required extensive aftermarket modification, it’s going to be easier than ever to have high-performance pistol, straight out of the box. Although the first launch is limited to only a few pistol models, there is a lot we can expect to see from GLOCK in the coming years. This is an exciting time to be a GLOCK enthusiast.
If you’re new to owning handguns, or on the fence about whether their Gen 6 is the right choice for you, our Sub-Compact 9mm Handgun Buyer’s Guide is definitely worth checking out. It offers a lot of insight into what GLOCK and many of the industry’s other top manufacturers have to offer. Even though it focuses on sub-compacts, it’ll still paint a good picture of what’s out there.
