Development is ‘well under way’ on the next-gen GTA
Rockstar Games confirmed Friday that it’s currently working on the next game in the Grand Theft Auto series — presumably, but not yet officially, titled Grand Theft Auto 6 — saying that active development on its next-gen open-world crime spree game is “well underway.”
Confirmation of a new Grand Theft Auto came tucked away in a community update on all things GTA, including Grand Theft Auto 5 — originally released way back in 2013 — and the enduring Grand Theft Auto Online.
Here’s what Rockstar had to say about the next Grand Theft Auto game:
“With the unprecedented longevity of GTAV, we know many of you have been asking us about a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series. With every new project we embark on, our goal is always to significantly move beyond what we have previously delivered — and we are pleased to confirm that active development for the next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series is well underway. We look forward to sharing more as soon as we are ready, so please stay tuned to the Rockstar Newswire for official details.
“On behalf of our entire team, we thank you all for your support and cannot wait to step into the future with you!”
Rockstar did not offer any additional details on the next entry in the GTA franchise — release date, platforms, the game’s location, and gameplay specifics will have to wait until the developer sees fit to announce them. But with an audience of more than 155 million players on Grand Theft Auto 5 and an ever-growing world in GTA Online, expectations for GTA 6 are high.
Grand Theft Auto 5 will find an even larger audience next month, when the game is re-released in enhanced form for PlayStation 5 And Xbox Series X. Rockstar will bring GTA 5 to the latest consoles from Sony and Microsoft on March 15. Those versions of GTA 5 will feature updated visuals: up to 4K resolution, up to 60 frames per second, texture and draw distance upgrades, HDR options, and ray tracing. A stand-alone version of GTA Online will also arrive on March 15, which will be available for free for the first three months to PlayStation 5 players.
The Grand Theft Auto franchise turns 25 this year. The first game, Grand Theft Auto, was released on MS-DOS, PlayStation, and Windows PC in 1997. After two entries and spinoffs, Rockstar reinvented its action-crime series with 2001’s Grand Theft Auto 3, a 3D open-world action-adventure game that spawned two bestselling sequels: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Grand Theft Auto 4 followed in 2008.
Since Grand Theft Auto 5’s release in 2013, Rockstar has released just one brand-new game: Red Dead Redemption 2. Over the past eight years, much of Rockstar’s effort has been focused on supporting GTA Online (and Red Dead Online), and re-releasing portions of its back catalog. The studio shipped Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition, a remaster of GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas — to mixed response in November. The collection launched in a buggy state, leading the contrite developer to apologize, update, and overhaul the game.