Grand Theft Auto VI is arriving more than 13 years after the original release of GTA V, but a new report suggests Rockstar Games did not spend that entire period actively building its next Grand Theft Auto.
According to the report, Rockstar initially hoped to develop GTA VI alongside Red Dead Redemption 2. That plan reportedly proved unrealistic because Red Dead Redemption 2 required far more resources than expected, leading the studio to shift much of its workforce toward finishing that project.
As a result, full production on GTA VI reportedly did not begin until 2019, around a year after Red Dead Redemption 2 launched.
GTA 6 Development Reportedly Became More Focused Around 2022
The early years of GTA VI development were apparently complicated by uncertainty over what the final game should become.
The report claims Rockstar spent roughly the first three or four years without a completely settled vision for the project.
One issue was the leadership structure. Rob Nelson, Aaron Garbut and Phil Hooker reportedly shared the Head of Development title, which some developers felt contributed to slower decision making during the early stages.
One of the questions Rockstar reportedly debated was how much of Red Dead Redemption 2's detailed realism should carry over into Grand Theft Auto.
| GTA VI development milestone | Reported timing |
|---|---|
| GTA V original release | September 2013 |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 release | 2018 |
| Full GTA VI development begins | 2019 |
| More cohesive vision emerges | Around 2022 |
| First GTA VI trailer | 2023 |
| GTA VI console launch | November 19, 2026 |
The COVID pandemic also affected development during this period. Remote work and other disruptions reportedly slowed progress, as happened across much of the games industry.
By around 2022, the project's direction had reportedly become much clearer.
Rockstar Increased Its Workforce Significantly
Another factor behind the long production schedule is the scale of GTA VI itself.
Rockstar reportedly expanded from 2,441 employees in 2018 to 4,711 employees by August 2026, nearly doubling its workforce while developing the game.
The studio also wanted to avoid repeating the intense crunch associated with the final stages of Red Dead Redemption 2.
More structured scheduling was reportedly introduced to reduce that pressure, even if doing so meant allowing more time for development.
That approach may help explain why Rockstar has continued working on the game for several years rather than forcing an earlier release.
GTA 6 Includes Extensive Simulation Details
Some systems also appear to have required significant development time because of Rockstar's focus on small environmental and character details.
One example mentioned in the report is a dynamic sweat system.
The game reportedly calculates how much Jason, Lucia and NPCs sweat depending on their physical activity. A character dancing heavily in a nightclub, for example, may visibly sweat more than someone standing still.
That type of system is unlikely to transform the core gameplay by itself, but it illustrates the level of simulation and detail Rockstar has been building into the world.
The company reportedly believes many of the tools created during GTA VI's development can be reused to speed up future projects.
The Gap After GTA 5 Does Not Equal 13 Years of GTA 6 Production
GTA VI is scheduled to release on November 19, 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
That puts more than 13 years between the original GTA V launch and GTA VI, a longer period than the entire stretch from GTA III to GTA V.
However, the new report suggests that figure can be misleading if interpreted as the development time of GTA VI itself.
Rockstar spent several years focused heavily on Red Dead Redemption 2, while GTA VI reportedly entered proper production only in 2019 and did not gain a fully cohesive direction until around 2022.
A PC version has not been officially dated. Recent reports have suggested an early 2027 release, but Rockstar has not confirmed that timing.
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