Grand Theft Auto 6’s development officially ‘well underway’

By Otto Kratky February 4, 2022

In a blog post focusing on the future of Grand Theft Auto Online, Rockstar confirmed for the first time that the massive franchise’s next entry is in development.

Many of you have been asking about a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series.

With every new project, our goal is always to significantly move beyond what we've previously delivered. We're pleased to confirm that active development for the next entry in the series is underway.

— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) February 4, 2022

In a short section looking toward the future of the franchise, Rockstar acknowledged that fans have been curious about the next entry of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.

“With the unprecedented longevity of GTAV, we know many of you have been asking us about a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series,” the studio says. “With every new project we embark on, our goal is always to significantly move beyond what we have previously delivered — and we are pleased to confirm that active development for the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series is well underway.”

Today’s post marks the first time Rockstar has mentioned a sequel to 2013’s GTAV, although that’s not much of a surprise. The most recent entry in the Grand Theft Auto franchise has been a massive success for Rockstar as a whole, especially its multiplayer component, Grand Theft Auto Online. In the years since its release, Rockstar has continuously supported GTA Online with a series of expansions featuring new content for the game’s dedicated player base. The company isn’t set on leaving GTA Online behind either, with a stand-alone version of the game set to release on March 15.

However, today’s announcement does throw the future of GTA Online into question. Since its release, the game has been built on the back of GTAV. It’s set in Los Santos, features the game’s characters, and uses the game’s engine. It’s not clear how the eventual release of the next Grand Theft Auto title will affect GTA Online.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Otto Kratky is a freelance writer with many homes. You can find his work at Digital Trends, GameSpot, and Gamepur. If he's…

Gaming

The biggest gaming news of 2023: Insomniac leak, GTA 6 reveal, and more

Lucia and her partner rob a store in GTA 6.

2023 was a roller coaster for the video games industry. On the software side, it was a historic year for new releases. We got everything from big success stories like Baldur's Gate 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to memorable indies in Venba and Chants of Sennaar. But from the business side, 2023 was a lot more tumultuous. While some notable studio acquisitions and game announcements happened, thousands of developers were laid off, entire studios were shut down or hacked, and the provider of one of the most popular game engines landed in hot water after trying to roll out a controversial change.

The most notable gaming news stories of 2023 run the gamut from genuinely exciting to thoroughly disappointed. That speaks to a video game industry bound to head into an odd 2024 that lacks the known quantity bombshells of this year and continues to reel from layoffs. In last year's iteration of this article, my editor said that the 2020s are shaping up to be "the most pivotal decade in gaming history when all is said and done." If this year is anything to go by, that will almost certainly be true. These were the gaming stories that defined 2023, for better and much worse.
The Wii U and 3DS eShops shut down

Gaming

The hacker who leaked Grand Theft Auto VI has been sentenced

Key art for Grand Theft Auto VI.

The Rockstar Games hacker responsible for the September 2022 leaks of Grand Theft Auto VI has been sentenced in the U.K. Arion Kurtaj, the 18-year-old Lapsus$ member behind the hacks of Rockstar Games, Uber, and Nvidia, was just sentenced to an indefinite hospital order, according to the BBC.

Kurtaj's sentence is based on a number of factors. The young hacker has autism, said that he wanted to continue committing cybercrimes, and has reportedly been violent while in custody. The court ultimately decided that he would "remain at a secure hospital for life unless doctors deem him no longer a danger."

Gaming

Grand Theft Auto VI didn’t need The Game Awards

Woman in the GTA 6 trailer at a rooftop pool party. She's in a white bikini.

This past week was one of the most crowded for video game news because of two events: The Game Awards 2023 and the Grand Theft Auto VI trailer. Initially, I was surprised the two weren’t one and the same. GTA 6’s reveal is the most significant game announcement of the year, after all, and Geoff Keighley always seems to be searching for big Elden Ring- or GTA 6-level moments for his show, even if he doesn’t always get those. After taking a step back and looking at how each performed independently of the other, I think both were better off staying separate.
Taking center stage
When it first teased the Grand Theft Auto VI trailer in November, it said the trailer would be released “in early December.” Like many others, I assumed that this meant it would show up at The Game Awards because that tends to be the case when game developers tease an announcement for that window. For example, Focus Entertainment also said a release date for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 would be confirmed “in early December,” and that ended up happening during The Game Awards.

Ultimately, Rockstar had the GTA 6 trailer slated to release on the morning of December 5, but ended up releasing it on the night of December 4 due to a leak. The game would not go on to make any marketing-related appearance at The Game Awards 2023 on December 7. Although GTA 6 skirted The Game Awards, was leaked, and got posted earlier than intended, it was still a groundbreaking reveal.