Grand Theft Auto 6 rumours: setting, next-gen console launch and more

Speculation is mounting about Rockstar Games’ next project following the release of the studio’s critically acclaimed Red Dead Redemption II.

It’s been six years since Grand Theft Auto 5 launched on the previous-generation of consoles and PC, so the next title in the series should be in the pipeline. And Rockstar have plenty of financial incentive to focus on its next open-world game.

As of November 2018, GTA 5 was “the best-selling entertainment product in history, eclipsing any medium”, according to Trusted Reviews. The title has generated more than $6bn (£4.75bn) in revenue since launching in 2013 and still appears in the top ten in the UK game charts.

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Rockstar could enjoy another big pay day with the release of Grand Theft Auto 6, which is being tipped to launch exclusively on the upcoming PlayStation 5.

Here we look at the GTA 6 rumours doing the rounds.

Is GTA 6 in development?

It seems likely, and eagled-eyed fans claim to have found evidence that proves the game is in the works.

GTA gamers say that the online CV of a visual designer called Bibin Michael indicates that he worked on vehicle designs for GTA 5’s downloadable expansion packs and for GTA 6 until April 2018, The Sun reported in April.

The dates tally with earlier job listings, posted on Rockstar’s website, for 3D vehicle designers in India and the US.

When will it come out?

PC Gamer reckons that, “given that Rockstar’s recent blockbuster games tend to land four-to-five years apart”, GTA 6 is likely to launch between 2022 and 2023.

But GamesRadar predicts the game could be out as soon as autumn 2020.

This schedule would still set a new record for the longest amount of time between GTA releases, the site notes. If GTA 6 were to arrive next year, it would be 83 months after the release of GTA 5. The current record stands at 47 months, between the latter title and Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony.

Will the game launch on next-generation consoles?

Almost certainly. The rumoured 2020 launch date for GTA 6 would see the game arriving at the same time as the next-generation Xbox One. The upcoming PlayStation 5 is expected to launch late next year, too, although that has not been confirmed by Sony yet.

In May, Game Rant reported that leaked plans for GTA 6 indicated that the game would release exclusively on the PS5, before launching on Xbox’s Scarlett console a month later.

However, the gaming site warned fans to take the leak “with a massive grain of salt”, given that industry insiders believe that PS5 development tools had not been handed to game creators at the time the rumour emerged.

And the game setting?

Rockstar typically alternates between three fictional cities for its GTA games: Liberty City, a fictionalised version of New York City, the California-inspired Los Santos and the Miami-esque Vice City.

However, the most recent rumours point to an all-new location for GTA 6.

A Reddit user has posted a list of alleged leaks about the game that includes claims it has been in development since 2012 and won’t be as realistic as Red Dead Redemption II, GamesRadar reports.

The Redditor also says that GTA 6 will be set between Vice City and a new fictional location inspired by Rio de Janeiro, with some missions taking users to Liberty City, though the game won’t be modelled as an open-world environment.

But PC Gamer dismisses those claims as being “almost certainly fake”, given that the sources cited included people who were said to have worked at the gaming news site.

That’s “news to us”, PC Gamer says.