Gaming has been in overdrive with excitement about Grand Theft Auto 6, and recent news from an ex-Rockstar Games artist has provided some insight into the game’s lengthy development timeline. Development on GTA 6, according to artist David O’Reilly [via The Gamer], commenced in 2018, not long after Red Dead Redemption 2’s launch. This is a timeline that makes the much-anticipated sequel have been under production for an unbelievable eight years by the time of its May 2026 release.
O’Reilly’s statement, one that he made in a video on YouTube, is what everyone had presumed: that an enormous amount of time and money would be needed to create a game as ambitious as GTA 6. The time between GTA 5 and GTA 6 is almost 13 years, much longer than the five-year difference between the fourth and the fifth installment. This longer development time is a reflection of the maturity of the game development nowadays, where games can now have gigantic team sizes and super-complicated detailed worlds.
Although GTA 5’s triumph could have entitled the sequel to an early jump-start, side-by-side working on Red Dead Redemption 2 could have devoted extensive resources. Eight years spent in development portend the extent of GTA 6 and, possibly, of a game pushing open-world conception limits and computer technical capabilities to their extremes.
As the launch date nears, gamers are buzzing with anticipation for further news on Grand Theft Auto 6. The earlier release of Trailer 2 itself has already set records for online views, paving the way for the huge demand for the game. Fans hope that Rockstar Games will release updates in the pre-launch months to the game’s release and reveal more of the game’s features, its plot, as well as game play. The extended development period has actually generated expectations, and gamers are eager to know how Rockstar Games intends to fulfill the promise of a genuinely revolutionary gaming experience.
