Grand Theft Auto 6 is a highly anticipated release for the genre-defining series. The latest iteration, Grand Theft Auto 5 released way back in 2013 and is still going strong thanks to a regular stream of content updates.
Fans of the series have been speculating that Grand Theft Auto 6 will be be announced at this year's NFL Super Bowl, after being misled by rumors surrounding the reveal at the 2020 Super Bowl. As much as fans would love to see this happen, it isn't likely to happen/
The Rumors Of 2020 Analyzed
The original beginnings of this series of speculations started in 2020 when the NFL Super Bowl was hosted in Miami, Florida. NFL Super Bowl used fonts and graphics similar to what fans saw in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and its box art. This led to many fans believing that the Grand Theft Auto 6 would be set in Vice City, and possibly even include some of the series' favorite characters. This rumor was further strengthened by the fact that popular songwriter The Weeknd was to perform at the Super Bowl.
The Weeknd's Blinding Lights music video had a peculiar neon sign in it which said, "GTA 6 Reveal Trailer." This again led to many more speculations on what the video and the artist had to do with the next game, and both of these things happening around the same time further gave wind to these rumors. The NFL rumors haven't slowed down yet, as many still believe Grand Theft Auto 6 would be revealed at this year's Super Bowl. However, the Weeknd's video had its rumor debunked as the neon signs were simply comments on the original video. Many fans wanted to see the music video or the artist included in the next game, which led to comments about the matter on the original video and finally got included in the neon signs.
Although this year's NFL Super Bowl will take place in Tampa, Florida, this doesn't look to have much in the name of confirming these rumors. That being said, these rumors are a shining example of the fandom behind the series and how much fans are clamoring to get any form of information on the next game.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Is In Development, But It's Still A Long Way Away
Grand Theft Auto 6 has reportedly been in development for some time now, but no information about the game is still anywhere near in sight. There is a lot of reason for this being the case, and mostly it is for the better. Many insider claims that it's in development, but that it's early on, and it's changing course from past games. One major report was about Rockstar laying out plans to mitigate its crunch culture. Red Dead Redemption 2 caused many employees to constantly work overtime, to as much as 100-hour weeks. Rockstar is reportedly planning to mitigate these occurrences with a series of steps, including a more detailed development and release for GTA 6.
Reports also suggest that GTA 6 may eventually turn out to be an "episodic" affair as the team would release a base game with a moderate amount of content, and continually add more of it down the line. Hitman 2016 released in an episodic way, which was met with a bunch of negative player reception, despite the game lending itself very well to that type of release. If Rockstar does eventually settle for this kind of approach, it'd be interesting to see how it is implemented, and what determines a "moderate" amount of content.
However, the major point here is the game is still really far from release. The Elder Scrolls 6 is a good point of contrast, as it's not likely to release until the mid-decade anyway. Grand Theft Auto 6 and The Elder Scrolls 6 are radically different, but the scope and scale of both are to some extent, comparable. The Elder Scrolls 6 has officially been announced, which likely puts Grand Theft Auto 6's release back a lot, and if so, a reveal anytime soon isn't likely, nor should it be.
Grand Theft Auto Online is Here to Stay
Many fans believe that Grand Theft Auto Online is part of the reason that is holding back the development of the next game. While nothing can be definitively said on the matter, most fans can agree that the continued development of Grand Theft Auto Online isn't a bad thing. This alternate mode has given players a reason to constantly keep coming back to the game, and Rockstar continually reciprocates its love in the form of regular Grand Theft Auto Online updates.
One of the complaints many players had with the post-launch support was the lack of any single-player expansion or DLC. Rockstar has answered this complaint by releasing the new Cayo Perico heist, the first heist that can be played entirely solo. The area where the heist takes place, the Cayo Perico island, is separate from the game's main map. What this event signifies is that Grand Theft Auto Online has a great probability of including "single-player content" going forward. This looks to be for the best as more and more players find something to enjoy and wait it out, as Rockstar more and more resources into the next entry.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is currently in development.