How long has GTA 6 been in development?

Rockstar has never said when work on GTA 6 began, so the answer depends on which marker you pick. One is official; the rest come from Bloomberg.

When did GTA 6 start development?

No official start date exists. These are the markers on record:

• 2014: Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reported in July 2022, citing sources, that the game had been “taking shape since 2014”.
• 2015: Bloomberg’s October 2026 making-of feature dated Rockstar’s first research trip to Miami to 2015.
• 2018: finishing Red Dead Redemption 2, released October 26, 2018, pulled most of the company onto that game and delayed GTA 6, the same feature said.
• End of 2019: the outline of Jason and Lucia’s story was in place, according to Bloomberg.
• February 4, 2022: Rockstar’s first public confirmation that work on the next Grand Theft Auto was “well underway”.

How long did it take to make GTA 6?

Our reading of the reporting: early ideas and research date to about 2014 or 2015, and full production ramped up after Red Dead Redemption 2 shipped in late 2018. Counted to the November 19, 2026 launch:

• From 2014: about 12 years.
• From 2015: about 11 years.
• From October 2018: about 8 years. Bloomberg reported that Rockstar does not expect its next game to take another eight years, which points to the same count.
• From the February 2022 confirmation: 4 years and 9 months.

Why did GTA 6 take so long to develop?

Rockstar’s public explanation, with its November 2025 delay, was that it needed time for polish. Bloomberg’s reporting points to more:

• Scope: an early concept, codenamed “Project Americas”, covered large parts of North and South America before it was scaled back.
• Red Dead Redemption 2: it took most of Rockstar’s staff until its 2018 release.
• The pandemic: it halted performance capture.
• Schedule: Phil Hooker told Bloomberg the delays came from parts not coming together on schedule rather than from one crisis.

Where the game ended up, Vice City and the state of Leonida, is in GTA 6 location, and both delays are in GTA 6 delays.

How long between GTA 5 and GTA 6?

GTA 5 came out on September 17, 2013, on PS3 and Xbox 360. GTA 6 arrives on November 19, 2026, 13 years and 2 months later. GTA 5 came to newer consoles and PC in between; those dates are in GTA games release dates.

Is GTA 6 still in development?

As of November 3, 2026, it is in its final weeks. Rob Nelson told Famitsu in late August that the game would definitely be released on November 19 and that the team was still refining it every day. The full story is on the GTA 6 development hub, and every date is in the GTA 6 timeline.