Rockstar reportedly ramped up full production only in 2020
Despite over a decade having passed since the launch of Grand Theft Auto V, Rockstar Games didn’t begin full development on GTA 6 until 2020, according to a new statement from parent company Take-Two Interactive.
In its latest earnings report, Take-Two clarified that development on the next entry in the franchise began “in earnest” two years after the release of Red Dead Redemption II in 2018. While pre-production may have started earlier, this phrasing likely refers to when full-scale development ramped up — a common milestone in game development where smaller planning teams give way to large-scale production efforts.
🕹️ A Long Road From GTA V
First released in 2013 for the PS3 and Xbox 360, GTA V has since become one of the best-selling games of all time, with over 215 million copies sold across multiple console generations and PC. Rockstar supported the title for years with significant expansions to GTA Online, effectively sustaining player engagement while delaying a direct sequel.
As Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick noted, Rockstar’s teams worldwide have worked in tandem over the past decade, often contributing collaboratively to the studio’s ongoing projects — a process that likely applies to GTA 6 as well.
🛠️ Delayed for “Perfection”
Take-Two also announced that GTA 6‘s release has been pushed from Fall 2025 to May 26, 2026, citing the game’s “ambition and complexity” as unprecedented in Rockstar’s history.
“There was an opportunity with a small amount of incremental time… to make sure Rockstar Games achieves its creative vision with no limitations,” said Zelnick. “While of course, delays pain me—how could they not?—the most important thing to do is to support your teams in their search for perfection.”
🎮 Rockstar’s “New GTA” Releases via Online Content
Addressing the long wait between numbered titles, Zelnick pushed back on the idea that fans have gone a decade without new GTA content. Speaking to The Game Business, he said GTA Online has effectively delivered “a new Grand Theft Auto release” multiple times per year, thanks to the scale and ambition of its updates.
“Some of which is so robust that if you go back 15 years, it would have counted as a standalone title,” he explained. “Same thing holds true for Red Dead Online, which has been ongoing. In the most recent quarter, GTA Online and Red Dead Online exceeded expectations.”
🗓️ What’s Next?
Grand Theft Auto VI is set to launch on May 26, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Meanwhile, Rockstar is reportedly bringing Red Dead Redemption 2 to Nintendo’s upcoming Switch 2, further expanding the reach of its legacy titles.
