GTA 6 Has Been in Development Since 2018, Says Former Rockstar Artist
A former Rockstar Games developer has confirmed that Grand Theft Auto 6 has been in development since 2018, revealing the game’s massive 8-year production cycle ahead of its 2026 launch.
GTA 6 Development Began in 2018, Former Rockstar Artist Reveals
With Grand Theft Auto 6 officially targeting a May 2026 release, fans are eager to learn just how long Rockstar Games has been working behind the scenes. Now, thanks to a former Rockstar artist, we finally have an answer—development began all the way back in 2018, shortly after the release of Red Dead Redemption 2.
🎨 Insider Confirms Development Timeline
As reported by The Gamer, former Rockstar Games artist David O’Reilly recently uploaded a reaction video on his YouTube channel Game World Art, where he discussed screenshots from GTA 6’s second trailer. In the video, he revealed:
“I worked on GTA 6 from 2018 to 2023. Went onto it after we wrapped up on RDR2. It’s fascinating having a look at all this stuff.”
This comment confirms that GTA 6 has been in development for at least eight years, with production kicking off immediately after the studio wrapped work on Red Dead Redemption 2.
⏳ Why the Long Wait?
By the time GTA 6 hits store shelves in 2026, it will have been nearly 13 years since the launch of GTA 5. That’s a massive leap compared to the five-year gap between GTA 4 and GTA 5. While development timelines have grown significantly across the industry—especially for AAA titles—many were surprised GTA 6 didn’t begin earlier, considering how much success GTA 5 generated.
But given the sheer scale of Rockstar’s games and the enormous resources that went into RDR2, it makes sense that the team may have needed time to regroup before diving into their next flagship title.
🎥 What’s Next for GTA 6?
GTA 6’s Trailer 2 has already broken viewership records, and with just about 12 months left before its scheduled launch, fans can expect Rockstar’s marketing campaign to start ramping up. After a 17-month gap between the first and second trailers, most players are hoping the wait for new updates won’t be nearly as long.
With a full year still ahead, we’re likely to see gameplay reveals, character spotlights, and location deep-dives as Rockstar begins to peel back the curtain on what could be one of the most anticipated games of all time.
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