Rockstar says its next game after GTA VI won't take another eight years
Rockstar Games says its next game after Grand Theft Auto VI will not take another eight years to make.
The promise came in interviews with the studio's leadership ahead of the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI, which is scheduled for release on 19 November 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, according to publisher Rockstar Games. Rockstar Games The comments were published on 14 October 2026 in a Bloomberg Businessweek feature on the making of the game. Bloomberg
The argument is practical, not sentimental. Rockstar says the technology built for Grand Theft Auto VI and the team assembled to make it will carry straight into the next project. That should cut development time.
Phil Hooker said the engine, tools and team built during the project will let Rockstar do things more quickly. Aaron Garbut, a top artist at the studio, said the team fundamentally changed a lot of its foundations for this game and will not pull them apart now the work is done. Garbut called Grand Theft Auto VI the culmination of everything Rockstar has learned to this point. Video Games Chronicle
The gap has been long. Grand Theft Auto VI will be Rockstar's first major new single-player release, a story-led game designed for one player, since Red Dead Redemption 2, released for PS4 and Xbox One in October 2018. That is an eight-year wait. Rockstar has moved fast before. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City followed Grand Theft Auto 3 by just one year.
The interviews took place during a daylong visit to Rockstar North in Edinburgh, described as the company's power centre. The studio sits in a three-floor office that once served as headquarters of the Scotsman newspaper. Rockstar has a dozen offices worldwide. Those interviewed included Jennifer Kolbe, head of publishing, alongside Garbut and other senior staff.
The feature also details the research behind the game's setting. Its fictional Vice City is based on Miami. Staff made research trips to the city that included riding with police, taking aerial photographs from helicopters and visiting nightclubs.
For players, this means two things at once. The immediate date is fixed. The longer-term message is that this game is meant to be a base for more to come, with new content built at a faster pace.
Rockstar had previously set the game for release on 26 May 2026 before moving it to November. The company has yet to officially confirm a PC version, although reporting points to a release before the end of March 2027.
