Rockstar employees give update on GTA 6 release date

The next Grand Theft Auto is reportedly "two years away" at least

Trevor in GTA V
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

Rockstar Games employees believe that a release date for GTA 6 is still "two years away" at the least, according to a new report.

The comments were made by various people familiar with the development of the next Grand Theft Auto (via Bloomberg) in an extensive interview breaking down the work environment of Rockstar over the past few years. After reports of Rockstar enforcing long work hours during the making of Max Payne 3 and Red Dead Redemption II, known as crunch in the games industry, measures have supposedly been put in place to help address this. 

As a result, staff members said that morale has been "higher than it's ever been" across the company but the more regular work hours mean that GTA 6 development has been slower than previous releases. It's here that several sources shared their scepticism at analysts' predictions that GTA 6 will release sometime between April 2023 and March 2024. This is the 2024 fiscal year of Rockstar's parent company Take-Two Interactive.

While the new game has apparently been worked on in some form since as early as 2014, it still shouldn't be expected soon. Those interviewed, who either work at Rockstar or previously did, stated that they weren't aware of any "firm release date" and still believe it to be "two years away" with only "loose schedules" in place. 

Aside from this, it was also revealed by Bloomberg that GTA 6 will reportedly feature a playable female lead character for the first time in its history. Described as being of Latino heritage, the story takes inspiration from infamous US bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde – a huge and pretty exciting revelation, if found true. 

GTA 6 was officially announced by Rockstar in February this year, putting an end to years of speculation as to whether we will ever see a new game in the series. Rockstar then provided its first update on the development of GTA 6 earlier this month. So we know it's coming! 

Missed any GTA news? Head to the official T3 GTA 6 hub for the latest news, rumours, leaks and everything else.  Also, make sure to check out T3's Grand Theft Auto V review to see if it's worth revisiting Los Santos on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.  

Matt Poskitt
Freelance Writer

Matt is a freelance writer for T3, covering news and keeping up with everything games, entertainment, and all manner of tech. You can find his work across numerous sites across the web, including TechRadar, IGN, GamesRadar, Tom's Guide, Fandom, NME, and more. In his spare time, Matt is an avid cinema-goer, keen runner and average golfer (at best). You can follow him @MattPoskitt64