GTA 6 Was Originally Set to Launch Much Sooner Than We Thought

Rockstar Games has revealed that it initially intended to develop GTA 6 alongside Red Dead Redemption 2, meaning it likely would have been released much sooner than we thought.

Rockstar Games has revealed that it originally planned to develop GTA 6 alongside Red Dead Redemption 2, meaning it could have been released much sooner than we thought.

As stated in a new article from Bloomberg, Rockstar Games originally planned to develop Red Dead 2 and GTA 6 at the same time, but that quickly became impossible. Rockstar North studio head Rob Nelson realized that the ambition behind Red Dead Redemption 2 meant they had to approach it as an all-hands-on-deck situation, which also meant putting GTA 6 on the back burner. However, GTA 6 will benefit from this, as Nelson mentioned to Bloomberg that everything they made for Red Dead will "pay off" in GTA 6.

This seems to be true, as GTA 6 uses many ideas and systems from Red Dead Redemption 2, including its NPC interaction system. It seems unlikely that GTA 6 would have been what it is today if it had stayed on course and developed in tandem with the Western sequel. Unfortunately for fans, this meant that the game took a lot longer to make. If it was developed simultaneously, it looks like Rockstar could release GTA 6 in the early 2020s.

In pictures: How Jason and Lucia have evolved in GTA 6 since 2023

Of course, the first release window that Rockstar ever gave publicly for GTA 6 was 2025. The game was delayed several times, much to the confusion of Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Rockstar's parent company, Take-Two Interactive. Rockstar's Sir Jennifer Kolbe noted that she had to call Zelnick just months after announcing the game's first delay to let him know they needed more time.

"I think he said, 'You're kidding,'" Kolbe recalled to Bloomberg. Please tell me you're kidding." "But when we talked about why, he got it. And I think we're really lucky that he makes as much sense as he does, because a lot of people say, "You better figure out how to send it." And we've been really, really lucky that we haven't been in that spot because that happens to a lot of teams and we haven't all had those great games.

A Bloomberg report denies rumors that GTA 6 was in active development shortly after GTA 5 was released in 2013, but that doesn't mean Rockstar only started working on it after Red Dead 2 was released. Various teams and leadership at Rockstar have been researching and planning GTA 6 since early 2014. In recent interviews, Rockstar has spoken at length about taking staff to Florida to research and brainstorm ideas for GTA 6 in the mid-to-late 2010s.

Bloomberg noted that the team didn't have a "skeleton" for GTA 6's story until the end of 2019, a year after Red Dead 2's release. Even then, it took a while for the team to fully wrap their heads around what the game would be. Rockstar has promised that its next game won't take nearly as long, thanks to the fact that it appears to have fewer obstacles ahead.

Rockstar doubled up during the development of GTA 6, faced multiple leaks, lost productivity during the pandemic, and much more. The studio also made major changes to how it operates and expects to set it up for success moving forward. What is Rockstar's next game? we don't know Some may be expecting a Red Dead 3, but other fans are hoping that Rockstar will break the cycle of alternating between Red Dead and GTA in favor of something new or a revival of a different IP. Whatever it is, don't expect it to last another eight years.

Are you taking a break to release GTA 6?

Yes, I am requesting/have already requested PTO

Yes, but I call in sick day.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for the IGN news team. He covers all things entertainment, including games, movies and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.