GTA 6 has not been released yet. This article is based on what Rockstar Games has revealed so far and will be updated when the game launches.
Rockstar's Next Game Won't Take Another Eight Years
GTA 6 took eight years. In an interview with Bloomberg, Rockstar's studio heads said the next game will come faster, and explained why.
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Will Rockstar's next game take as long as GTA 6?
No, according to Rockstar itself. In an interview with Bloomberg, published in mid-October 2026, studio heads Phil Hooker and Aaron Garbut said the next Rockstar game will not take as long to make as Grand Theft Auto VI.
GTA 6 comes out on 19 November 2026, eight years after Red Dead Redemption 2 launched in October 2018. That makes it Rockstar's first big new single-player game in eight years.
What Rockstar said
The main reason, according to Hooker, is that the hard groundwork is done: "The engine, the tools and the team we've built during this project will allow us to do things more quickly."
He added that he was confident the studio can "go more sideways than upwards to build more compelling content". In other words: instead of making each game bigger than the last, Rockstar wants to build different things on top of what it has now.
Garbut said much of the studio's foundation changed during GTA 6: "We foundationally changed a lot of stuff on this project. But now it's done, and we're not going to rip it apart."
He also called GTA 6 the result of decades of experience: "The last 30 years has been practice for where we got to here."
Why GTA 6 took so long
The Bloomberg article also described how far Rockstar went to recreate Miami as Vice City. Staff made several research trips, rode along with police, took aerial photos from helicopters and visited nightclubs, partly to study the lighting. "And now you understand why it took so long," said Jennifer Kolbe, Rockstar's head of publishing.
For the full story of the game's development and the two delays, see the GTA 6 development history and GTA 6 delays explained.
What is Rockstar's next game?
Rockstar has not announced its next game. Statements about a faster development time say nothing about what the game will be or when it comes out. Treat any claim about a specific next title as a rumour until Rockstar announces it.
The same goes for a PC version of GTA 6. Reports say one is planned before the end of March 2027, but Rockstar has not announced it. Our GTA 6 PC guide keeps track of what is known.
Frequently asked questions
Who are Phil Hooker and Aaron Garbut?
Two of Rockstar's development heads. They spoke to Bloomberg about GTA 6 and the studio's plans.
How long did GTA 6 take to make?
GTA 6 comes out eight years after Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar's previous big new game.
Has Rockstar announced its next game?
No. Rockstar has only said that it will not take as long as GTA 6.