Grand Theft Auto 6 reportedly targeted for a holiday 2024 release
by Danny Craig · 3/7/23, 4:35 PM
Rockstar Games
An insider has claimed that Rockstar could potentially cut "portions of the game" to meet the deadline as higher-ups at the company aren’t willing to provide more development time.
The details:
- According to GTA Forums insider Tez2, Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) is set for a holiday 2024 release after being delayed for years, with the possibility of being pushed even further back to early 2025. Fans have been anticipating the sequel to 2013's GTA V for quite some time, as Rockstar's previous major title, Red Dead Redemption 2, has been on the market for over four years with few updates.
- Back in 2020, rumors circulated that GTA 6 would be a smaller game at launch that would be expanded upon via DLC, similar to how GTA Online updates have added new locations, vehicles, clothing, and weapons to the game. Those rumors appear to be true, with the developer apparently planning to cut "portions of the game to package into DLC to release later on," with the company's upper management not "in a position" to push the game back until 2025 or 2026. It's unclear how severe the content cuts will be, but fans are hoping for minor removals rather than major changes.
- Rockstar is also reportedly forcing employees to return to its physical offices, with the risk of being laid off if they refuse. Although this has not been confirmed, companies all over the world have already begun implementing "return to office" policies, with Activision-Blizzard confirming last month that it was eliminating full-time remote positions across its QA departments. Tez2 mentioned that the possibility of members of the development team leaving their roles could have an impact on the release, potentially forcing another delay.
Other GTA news:
- Rapper 50 Cent has now deleted recent Instagram posts that appeared to be teasers for GTA 6. The images consisted of a logo for GTA: Vice City and a "Vice City" neon sign, hinting that he could potentially be involved in the title in some way.
- In January, a job listing for "Character - Animal and Creature Artist" was spotted on Rockstar’s careers site. Despite not outright stating which project the role is for, the position is most likely to be working on GTA 6, as its release gets closer.