GTA 6 is in active development and 'well underway', Rockstar confirms

Main characters of Grand Theft Auto 5 putting on thieves' gear
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Grand Theft Auto 6 is currently in active development, with Rockstar’s work on the much-anticipated game already “well underway”.

Rockstar announced the current state of GTA 6 on Twitter, as well as at the end of a blog post about GTA Online’s upcoming updates. It's the first time the studio has officially acknowledged the sequel’s existence and current development.

“With the unprecedented longevity of GTA V, we know many of you have been asking us about a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series,” the post reads.

“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.”


Analysis: GTA 6 is official

This is the first time Rockstar has officially acknowledged the current development of GTA 6, as well as giving us our first inkling of how far along its development cycle the much-anticipated title has reached. While there’s no release date, Rockstar’s suggestion that development on the game is now “fully underway” gives a clear picture of the studio’s circumstances: the development of GTA 6 is in full swing.

Rockstar has also set itself a high bar for the next title. Although it gives no specifics about what GTA 6 will bring, eager fans that have waited nearly a decade for a new entry in the franchise will have high demands, and the studio’s promise to “significantly move beyond” previous entries in the series won’t alleviate any hype.

As for a more exact release date, publisher Take-Two’s recent deal to buy mobile gaming giant Zynga gives us a few clues. A press release for the deal contained the note that that “the combined company is expected to deliver a 14% compound annual growth rate… over the three-year period from Take-Two's Fiscal Years 2021 through 2024.”

In response to those figures, an analyst from investment banking advisory firm Jefferies, quoted by Stephen Totilo of Axios, suggested “there are only a handful of titles that can...provide management with the confidence to put out such a strong guidance; we believe there is at least one Rockstar IP set to be released by FY24”. 

Now GTA 6 is officially on the table, that 2024 release date could be the opening for Grand Theft Auto 6.

Callum Bains
Gaming News Writer

Callum is TechRadar Gaming’s News Writer. You’ll find him whipping up stories about all the latest happenings in the gaming world, as well as penning the odd feature and review. Before coming to TechRadar, he wrote freelance for various sites, including Clash, The Telegraph, and Gamesindustry.biz, and worked as a Staff Writer at Wargamer. Strategy games and RPGs are his bread and butter, but he’ll eat anything that spins a captivating narrative. He also loves tabletop games, and will happily chew your ear off about TTRPGs and board games.