GTA 6 breaks records: 8 years of development and a more ambitious world

When Rockstar released Red Dead Redemption 2 , the world was blown away by its level of detail and storytelling. But what few knew back then was that, as the creative team closed that cycle, they were already working on what would be their most ambitious project to date: Grand Theft Auto VI .

For years, there was almost total silence. There were no official announcements, tentative dates, or solid details. Only rumors, leaks, and a community that never stopped speculating. However, we now know that the wait wasn't in vain.

David O'Reilly, who worked as an Environment Artist at Rockstar North from 2011 to 2023, shared on the Kiwi Talkz podcast a revelation that shocked thousands: GTA 6 began development right after RDR2, in 2018 .

That means that, as of today, August 1, 2025, the game has been in development for seven years, and considering its planned release date of May 26, 2026, it will be completed in eight years. O'Reilly was involved in creating landscapes and modeling scenarios, and although he left before the project was completed, his testimony offers the strongest confirmation yet of the length of this ambitious process.

Never before has a Grand Theft Auto game taken so long to develop. GTA V was created in less than five years, and GTA IV in just over three. This time jump not only reflects the technical and narrative evolution of the industry, but also the level of expectations Rockstar has decided to take on.

According to statements and internal information, GTA 6 seeks to offer not only a more vast and detailed open world than ever before, but also a more complex story, emotionally evolving characters, and transformative gameplay.

Rockstar has officially confirmed that GTA 6 will arrive on May 26, 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game does not yet have a PC release date, but is expected to arrive in the following months.

The official trailers, though brief, have broken viewing records. Millions of people around the world have already reacted to the leaked and official content, proving that the franchise hasn't lost its relevance, but rather, on the contrary: it has cultivated even more excitement.

Rockstar Games has invested in long-term development to ensure that every detail, every dialogue, and every corner of the map lives up to a generation that demands realism, innovation, and narrative depth. Leaks indicate that there will be a playable female protagonist for the first time in the series, a city inspired by Miami, and a never-before-seen dynamic event system.

Time will tell, but for now, all signs point to GTA 6 not just being another video game: it's the most serious attempt yet to redefine what it means to play in an open world.