Rockstar's next game after GTA 6 probably won't take another eight years to make, according to the studio's own leadership. In a making-of feature on Grand Theft Auto 6 by Bloomberg, heads of development Phil Hooker and Aaron Garbut explained that the engine, tools, and team built during the game's long development will let Rockstar move faster on future projects. Hooker said he feels confident the studio can now build on top of that groundwork instead of rebuilding it for every new game. Garbut added that a lot was changed at a foundational level for GTA 6, "but now it's done, and we're not going to rip it apart."
The pair pointed to GTA 3 and Vice City as the model, with Vice City arriving roughly a year after GTA 3 since it was built on work that was already done. That is a very different picture from today, with GTA 6 having gone through roughly eight years of full development. The game is now set to launch on November 19, 2026 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S after being initially delayed to May 2026 and then pushed again to November.
Rockstar has also grown to more than 4,700 employees across 12 offices. The studio hasn't revealed what it's working on next, and neither Hooker nor Garbut put a timeline on it.
It's reasonable to expect a shorter wait than the 13 years between GTA 5 and GTA 6, though how much shorter is anyone's guess for now.
Source: TechPowerUp News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing