The gap between GTA V and GTA VI marks a record in the franchise’s history—by the time GTA VI is released, 12 years will have passed since the launch of its predecessor. For comparison, Rockstar had previously released six mainline games in the Grand Theft Auto series within a similar timeframe. However, that doesn’t mean GTA VI took 12 years to make.
Former Rockstar environment artist David O’Reilly, who was involved in the development of GTA VI, has revealed when work on the game actually began. According to him, full-scale development started in 2018, shortly after the release of Red Dead Redemption 2. This means the production cycle will span an impressive eight years. Such extended development timelines were once considered rare and labeled “long-term construction,” but now they are becoming the industry norm.
GTA VI is officially scheduled for release on May 26, 2026, for Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5, with a PC version expected to follow at a later date, as is tradition. Recently, experts at Digital Foundry analyzed the second trailer in detail and were impressed by its visuals. However, they noted that the game appears to run at 30 frames per second.