How long has GTA 6 been in development?
Updated · 3 min read
By the best public account, about 12 years. Bloomberg reported in 2022 that GTA 6 had been "taking shape since 2014", the year after GTA V came out, and the game launches on November 19, 2026. Full production started later, around 2020, so the main development push is about six years. Either way, it's the longest gap between numbered GTA games: 13 years and two months after GTA V's release on September 17, 2013. Here's the timeline, and how the world of Leonida came together along the way.
Updated Oct 15, 2026: first version.
When did GTA 6 development start?
There are two answers, and both come from reporting, not from Rockstar:
- 2014. Jason Schreier of Bloomberg reported in July 2022 that the game had been "taking shape since 2014". Early plans were far bigger: cities across North and South America, later cut back to one Miami-inspired city.
- 2020. Wikipedia dates principal production to 2020, under the codename "Project Americas".
Rockstar itself first confirmed it publicly in February 2022, saying development was "well underway".
GTA 6 timeline
| Date |
What happened |
| Sep 17, 2013 |
GTA V launches |
| 2014 |
Early work begins, per Bloomberg |
| 2018 |
"Project Americas" rumours start (unverified at the time) |
| 2020 |
Principal production, per Wikipedia |
| Feb 4, 2022 |
Rockstar confirms development is "well underway" |
| Jul 2022 |
Bloomberg reports a Latina lead, a fictional Miami and plans to expand after launch |
| Sep 18, 2022 |
A hacker leaks 90 test-build videos; Rockstar confirms a "network intrusion" |
| Dec 4, 2023 |
Trailer 1 (released early after leaking); "2025" window |
| May 16, 2024 |
Take-Two narrows it to fall 2025 |
| May 2, 2025 |
First delay, to May 26, 2026 |
| May 6, 2025 |
Trailer 2, the six regions and 70+ screenshots |
| Nov 6, 2025 |
Second delay, to November 19, 2026 |
| Jun 24–25, 2026 |
Prices and editions announced; pre-orders open |
| Aug 18, 2026 |
The CYBERLEEK leak, including a claimed full map |
| Aug 27, 2026 |
The Extended Look ("Trailer 3") premieres on Netflix |
| Oct 8, 2026 |
First six radio stations revealed |
| Nov 12, 2026 |
Digital pre-load opens |
| Nov 19, 2026 |
Launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S |
The leaks are covered in our map leak guide and the third video in GTA 6 Trailer 3.
Why did GTA 6 take so long?
Rockstar hasn't given one reason, but three things are on record:
- GTA Online and Red Dead Redemption 2. Rockstar shipped RDR2 in 2018 between the two GTAs and kept GTA Online running throughout.
- Scope changes. Bloomberg's sources described a plan that started much larger and was cut back, and Axios later reported early plans for "four protagonists and three cities". What's shipping is two protagonists and one state.
- Polish. Both delays were about quality: in May 2025 Rockstar said it needed time to "deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve", and the November 2025 delay was for extra polish.
The 2022 hack also cost Rockstar about $5 million and thousands of staff hours, according to evidence given in court.
How does that compare with other Rockstar games?
| Gap |
Years |
| GTA IV (2008) → GTA V (2013) |
~5 |
| GTA V (2013) → GTA 6 (2026) |
~13 |
| Red Dead Redemption (2010) → RDR2 (2018) |
~8 |
What did all that time produce?
A map Rockstar calls the biggest it has made, "around twice the size" of GTA V's. It covers six regions, from Vice City and the Leonida Keys to Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia and Mount Kalaga, with more than 170 animal species. See how big the GTA 6 map is, or open the map to explore it.
Sources: TheGamer on Bloomberg's 2022 report; Wikipedia for the timeline and production start; Rockstar Newswire and again on the delays; Polygon on Trailer 1; The Record on the 2022 hack; TechSpot on its cost; Sportskeeda on Axios's report; VGC on editions; NME on the radio reveal; Wikipedia on GTA V.
