GTA 6 Has Been In Some Form of Development Since All The Way Back in 2012-2014
To directly answer the question – evidence suggests Grand Theft Auto 6 has been in development in some capacity for over a decade now, first entering early pre-production as far back as 2012-2014. However, the game likely only entered full active development after 2018.
Let‘s closely examine the timeline of GTA 6‘s long and secretive road to eventual release:
Early Development Rumors Point to Pre-Production as Early as 2012
Though Rockstar has yet to officially confirm when initial work on GTA 6 first kicked off, there are strong indications that early pre-production traces back to around 2012-2014.
Notably, industry insider Chris Liberty claimed in a now-deleted Reddit post that GTA 6 was in pre-production as early as 2014. Chris Liberty has proven to be a reliable source of Rockstar insider information over the years, lending credence to his claims.
Additionally, Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser said in an interview that as soon as a new GTA title releases, the next one goes into "early development." Following this pattern, Rockstar likely began early brainstorming and planning for GTA 6 around 2012 shortly after Grand Theft Auto V launched.
| Game | Release Year | Early Development Likely Started |
|---|---|---|
| GTA V | 2013 | 2012 |
| GTA VI | 2024-2025 | 2012-2014 |
So while concrete details on GTA 6‘s origins are scarce, there are clear indicators that early "concept and spitballing" work traces as far back as 2012-2014 – shortly after GTA V shipped.
Full Development Had to Wait Until After Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar could not fully commit to developing GTA 6 until after the launch of 2018‘s Red Dead Redemption 2.
Notable journalist Jason Schreier reported in April 2020 that Rockstar had to get RDR2 out the door before it could dive headfirst into full production on the next Grand Theft Auto.
All of Rockstar‘s studios came together in a massive collaborative effort to complete the ambitious open world Western game. As a result, they likely couldn‘t devote enough resources to both RDR2 and GTA 6 simultaneously.
So while early conceptual work on GTA 6 was occurring as early as 2012-2014, the game had to be put on the backburner while Rockstar pursued Red Dead Redemption 2.
It wasn‘t until late 2018 after RDR2 wrapped that Rockstar could finally shift to full steam ahead development on GTA 6.
GTA 6 Has Been In Full Production for 4-5 Years
With Red Dead 2 out the door in 2018, Rockstar has likely had all hands on deck for GTA 6‘s full-scale development since late 2018 or early 2019.
In August 2022, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick stated during an investor call that development on the next Grand Theft Auto is “well underway.” Many industry experts took this to imply the game has been in active production for 4-5 years at this point.
Judging by historical timelines, this adds up:
GTA V entered full development in 2009 and released in 2013 – a 4 year dev cycle.
Red Dead Redemption 2 entered full development in 2010 and released in 2018 – an 8 year dev cycle.
If GTA 6 entered full production in 2018-2019 after RDR2, a release in 2024-2025 would match GTA V‘s 4-5 year full production timeline.
So by all available evidence, Rockstar has likely had its full weight behind GTA 6 since roughly 2018, making for nearly half a decade of full-scale development work.
Ambition, Perfectionism, and Avoiding Crunch = A Long Timeline
Given the ballooning scale and detail of each successive Grand Theft Auto game, it‘s no surprise that GTA 6 is taking many years to develop.
Here are some of the likely factors contributing to the lengthy development cycle:
Unprecedented Scope & Ambition – Rockstar has stated they plan to set new "creative benchmarks" with GTA 6. As they keep pushing the limits of open world design, crafting these expansive worlds naturally takes more time.
Targeting Next-Gen Hardware – GTA 6 is expected to launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Leveraging new hardware to its fullest takes substantial development resources.
Online/Multiplayer Focus – With the runaway success of GTA Online, expectations for GTA 6‘s online features are sky-high. Building online worlds alongside massive singleplayer maps adds development complexity.
Rockstar‘s Obsessive Perfectionism – The studio is infamous for exhaustive attention to detail and refinement. For example, RDR2 reportedly had a 300,000 line script and 500,000 animations. Crafting such intricately hand-crafted worlds just takes time.
Avoiding Crunch Controversy – There was intense crunch during RDR2‘s final year of development. Rockstar seems committed to giving more lenient timelines for GTA 6 to avoid excessive overtime controversy.
Personally, as a huge fan of the Grand Theft Auto series, I don‘t mind waiting a few extra years for GTA 6 if it means the team at Rockstar can avoid crunch and deliver another groundbreaking open world masterpiece. Their attention to detail is unmatched – so if polishing GTA 6 to a perfect sheen takes until 2024 or 2025, I think it will be well worth the wait.
In closing, by all available evidence it‘s clear that GTA 6 has been simmering in some form for over a decade – likely entering early pre-production as far back as 2012-2014. But full-scale development couldn‘t begin until after 2018‘s Red Dead Redemption 2. GTA 6 has now been in active production for 4-5 years, as Rockstar takes its time to meet sky-high expectations and avoid excessive crunch. Given Rockstar‘s uncompromising standards, the lengthy development timeline makes perfect sense. And I have no doubt that whenever GTA 6 does finally arrive, it will set a new benchmark for open world gaming. The wait will be well worth it!
