It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to claim that GTA 6 has been in development for a long time, and this is without even considering its most recent delay.
However, one curiosity has always remained in the minds of fans: when did the development start? After all, GTA 5 has remained on top for more than 10 years, and the Online version continues to receive new content. So far, the number has been a matter of speculation and guesswork, but an accidental source confirmed a rough timeline for us.
GTA 6 has been in development for longer than you may think
The recent information comes from David O’Reilly, who went on an interview with Kiwi Talkz and confirmed what many of us had already speculated. David had worked on GTA 6 for five years until he left the company in 2023.
This information essentially confirms that the upcoming Grand Theft Auto saga has been in development since 2018. This means that the development began right after the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 (another masterpiece), and it’s now in its eighth year.
Considering the delayed launch date, GTA 6 is just two years shy of a decade in development. The game was originally scheduled to launch in 2025, but it got pushed back to 2026. In fact, the actual development cycle could be a decade, as David’s statement doesn’t take the pre-production phase into account. This period sets the early founding pillars in game development, and it’s pretty important in creating a good product (which Rockstar seems to get done every time).
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first time that David has hinted at the development period. When the second trailer dropped, he had reportedly stated the duration of his tenure. So technically, we did already know about the timeframe, but the latest news can be considered confirmation.
Eight years or more might seem long for a single video game. But that’s just the expectations from Rockstar in a nutshell, given it routinely delivers successes. Despite the existence of “….got this before GTA 6” memes, they still pushed back development to ensure the quality of the title. Only Rockstar can pull off such rockstar moves, I suppose.
At this point, it’s best to hope that the developers don’t aim at stretching the full development cycle past a decade, and we can enjoy the game on our consoles come May 26, 2026.
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