Former Rockstar Dev Explains Why GTA 6 May Have Taken So Long To Develop

There's no denying that the wait Grand Theft Auto 6 has been excruciatingly long, but a former developer at Rockstar Games, who has worked on titles such as Grand Theft Auto 5 and LA Noirespeculates that the long development time may be due to the studio rebuilding its Rage Engine from the ground up. While Rockstar is well known for taking its time with new releases, largely due to the fact that the studio often seeks nothing but perfection, Grand Theft Auto 6s development time has been Rockstar's longest to date. Thankfully, the wait is almost over.

Grand Theft Auto fans got their first unofficial look at GTA 6 2022, when a massive data breach saw over 90 in-development gameplay footage leaked online. At the time, the internet was rightly skeptical as to whether this really was the next one Grand Theft Auto game they were looking at, but the confirmation from Rockstar came soon after. The studio then revealed the first official trailer in December 2023, with a targeted release window for Fall 2025. Given Rockstar's history of delays, that initial release window seemed unlikely, and it was. The first delay pressed GTA 6 to May 26, 2026, but it wasn't long before a second delay then moved its release date again, this time to November 19, 2026.

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Image comparison shows an impressive upgrade from GTA 5 to GTA 6

Grand Theft Auto fans show a side-by-side comparison of 2013's GTA 5 with the upcoming GTA 6, and there's a night-and-day difference.

Rockstar may have rebuilt their game engine for GTA 6

As Grand Theft Auto 5 first released in 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the wait for its successor has now been 13 years. Many simply believed that the long wait was due to Rockstar milking everything it could Grand Theft Auto Online and several reissues of GTA 5but a former developer speculates that it could have been for a completely different reason. During a recent interview with Kiwi Talkz, former sound designer Rob Carr, who has worked on LA Noire, Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto 5and Red Dead Redemption 2says that Rockstar may have completely rebuilt the studio's Rage Engine too Grand Theft Auto 6.

“I don't know anything about it, other than the fact that they probably will have — given the time frame of how long it's taken them to get to this stage — that they've probably rebuilt the entire Rage Engine,” Carr said regarding Grand Theft Auto 6long development time. “That's the only thing I can say with real, genuine confidence.

Carr goes on to say that he will be “surprised” if they haven't rebuilt the Rage Engine, as “the architecture of the technology has advanced significantly since GTA 5.” While Grand Theft Auto 5 is still a visually stunning game, especially when played on current-gen consoles or PC, there's no denying that the trailers and screenshots from Grand Theft Auto 6 show some tremendous progress. Also, many people forget that Rockstar always uses in-engine footage for their trailers, meaning that what fans see in trailers is what GTA 6 will appear during the course of the game.

The wait must have been long, but it looks like Grand Theft Auto 6The November release date may finally be locked in. While there's nothing stopping Rockstar from pushing the title for a third time, the studio's parent company, Take-Two Interactive, seems incredibly confident that this date is now final. The company's CEO, Strauss Zelnick, has reiterated his confidence in the November 19 release date, even going so far as to reveal that marketing for Grand Theft Auto 6 starting in the summer. For a company of this size, it's unusual for marketing plans to be revealed in advance, but this is clearly Zelnick's way of reassuring the community that there won't be any further setbacks.

Considering it's been almost a full year since Rockstar released the second trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6many are eager to see more from the title. But one thing that has also been a hot topic among gamers is how much Rockstar's next title might cost. Take-Two was one of the very first companies to raise the cost of its AAA releases from $60 to $70 when the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S launched, leading many to believe it could be gearing up to do the same again with GTA 6. Some analysts have even predicted that the title could cost $100 or more. For now, however, this is just speculation.