The Incredible Sacrifice Being Made for GTA 6's 'Perfection'

The development cycle for Grand Theft Auto 6 is reportedly shaping up to be the longest in Rockstar Games' history, according to new information that provides a clearer picture of the sheer scale and ambition behind the highly anticipated sequel.

A former Rockstar developer may have accidentally revealed during a recent podcast interview that the sixthquel has been in active development since 2018. By doing some quick math, this would mean that Rockstar would have spent at least eight years working on GTA 6 by the time it launches in May 2026 (and that's if it isn't delayed).

The revelation came from David O'Reilly, an environmental artist who spent five years working on the game before leaving Rockstar in 2023. During his appearance on the Kiwi Talkz podcast, O'Reilly casually mentioned his timeline at the studio, working on GTA 6 following the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 in late 2018.

For context, Grand Theft Auto V took approximately five years to develop, while Red Dead Redemption 2 was also in production for about eight years, including pre-production. GTA 6's eight-year active development cycle, not counting any pre-production work that reportedly began as early as 2015, would set a new record for the studio.

While bad news for impatient fans, the extra development time allows for unprecedented levels of environmental detail, narrative complexity, and technical innovation that shorter development cycles simply can't accommodate.

We've already seen this in full effect with how many more details were in the second trailer compared to the first one, even though both were shot on a base PS5.

The extended development timeline helps explain why fans have been waiting so long for any concrete information about the game. Rockstar has maintained an unusually tight lid on the project, with most details coming from leaks rather than official announcements.

Even developers working on the game were kept largely in the dark about the overall vision, which just goes to show how much Rockstar wants to keep the game a secret.

O'Reilly revealed that despite spending half a decade creating environments for the game, he knew very little about the actual story or gameplay. He was aware the narrative would involve two main characters (who we now know are Lucia and Jason), but most of his work was compartmentalized to specific environmental assets without broader context.

Despite this strict implementation to prevent premature reveals, Rockstar was still subjected to two of the biggest leaks in gaming history when in-development footage of GTA 6 found its way on the internet and the first trailer was released ahead of schedule.

With that said, what's been made clear with all the information we have about GTA 6 so far is that Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive have committed a massive amount of time and resources to the project.

If this isn't a sign that the goal is for GTA 6 to meet the astronomical expectations set upon on it by industry insiders, experts, voice actors and studio executives, including Take-Two's CEO, then we don't know what is.

GTA 6 is currently scheduled to release on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X on May 26, 2026, with an in-development PC port expected to follow suit.