GTA 6 is expected to still be at least a few years away from release, according to the developers working on the long-awaited sequel.
While Rockstar publicly confirmed that GTA 6 is in active development earlier this year, it has kept details about an expected release date under wraps. in a new Bloomberg (opens in new tab) In the report, however, Rockstar officials said they expect the game to be at least two years away.
The extended development period is partly a result of the game’s changing tone. Rockstar would have taken steps to ensure its satirical jokes surfaced, rather than attacking marginalized groups. As part of that change, GTA 6 will introduce the series’ first female protagonist, and Rockstar officials say they’re still figuring out what the next Grand Theft Auto will look like under this new approach.
Leaks galore
With the release of GTA 5 in 2013, fans of Rockstar’s acclaimed open world series have been waiting a long time for the sixth installment. This Bloomberg report is just the latest evidence to suggest that a 2024 release date is likely.
Take-Two Interactive’s last earnings report (opens in new tab) shows that Rockstar’s parent company expects to spend $89 million (approximately £74 million or AU$128 million) on marketing between April 2023 and the end of March 2024. That’s a significant increase compared to the budgets of the years previous. industry analyst Jeff Cohen predicts (opens in new tab) this spike will be used to promote GTA 6 ahead of its release in early 2024.
Additionally, leaker Tom Henderson suggested last year that Rockstar is targeting a release date of 2024 to 2025. At the same time, he suggested that GTA 6 will feature multiple player characters, which has now been corroborated by Bloomberg.
While GTA 6 is still a ways off, waiting a few years might not be too bad. There are plenty of games like GTA to play in the meantime, and some people even want Rockstar to do something completely different before GTA 6 comes along.