Rockstar Games has entered the radio silence phase of production, presumably on Grand Theft Auto 6. Fans are obviously getting antsy for any news on the game, regardless of what it is. Last of the concrete news was that Grand Theft Auto moving forward would take a more incremental development approach, both in response to developer crunch concerns as well as following the Grand Theft Auto Online content model. Even that was an outside report, with no confirmation from Rockstar Games itself.
Among all of the rumors and leaks, of course fans are most curious about the release date of the game. Like every iteration before it, Grand Theft Auto 6 has seen a bevy of leaks regarding the game, but many of the release date rumors agree on a specific timeframe. Practically every rumor about the game places the release date in a broad time frame: 2021-2023. Of course, that would make a lot of sense given Rockstar Games' track record of recent releases.
2020 and 2021 Very Unlikely for Grand Theft Auto 6
First, it's important to get some of the easy debunks out of the way. One particular rumor posted on Pastebin anonymously stated that Grand Theft Auto 6 would be released this holiday, coinciding with the release of PS5 and Xbox Series X. Supposedly the game would be a PlayStation timed exclusive, and the game would take place in Liberty City and Vice City. This may have just been misinformation from what turned into Grand Theft Auto 5 coming to next-gen, but otherwise this is certainly false. Another rumor was based on a theory that the Casino DLC for Grand Theft Auto Online was hinting at what's to come this year, but that wasn't proven.
Rumors for 2021 have popped up as well, which are a tad bit more credible, though not enough by any means to be considered factual. Speaking at the Brasil Game Show back in 2019, Trevor actor Steven Ogg reportedly stated that games "take seven to eight years to make, do the math," which frankly is an assumed release time for Grand Theft Auto 6 anyway. Although, considering a port of Grand Theft Auto 5 is coming to PS5/Xbox Series X, that would mean Grand Theft Auto 6 would want to release towards the end of 2021 at the earliest. A former Rockstar Games employee affirmed that theory, but also stated Rockstar "places emphasis on game quality rather than hitting a deadline."
2022 or Later for Grand Theft Auto 6 is Likely
This particular 2022-2023 time frame makes a lot more sense, but the specifics are where many rumors disagree on exactly when the game would ship. Even without considering any Covid-19 related delays, leakers and insiders don't seem to share a consensus on the state of Grand Theft Auto 6's development. Bloomberg reporter and games industry insider Jason Schreier repeatedly stated earlier this year that Grand Theft Auto 6 was still in the "early stages" of development. Other leakers like Yan2295, who had previously leaked and confirmed information about Rockstar, disagrees with Schreier and believes the game is much further along.
Other than insider information, basically any other purported release dates for Grand Theft Auto 6 have generally come from industry analysts and predictions. There haven't been any prominent leaks recently that hold any semblance of credibility, and it'll probably be that way for a while, especially if the game really is in earlier stages of development. Jefferies analyst Alex Giaimo predicts the game likely won't be out until 2023, specifically after the 2022 fiscal year. It's a likely scenario if the game is still in early development as of earlier this year.
Fan Theories and In-Game Hints From Previous Games
Lastly are the theories and hints that players pick up in existing Rockstar Games titles, looking for any sliver of evidence or hints of a Grand Theft Auto 6 release date. One theory in particular examines several labeled doors at Los Santos airport in Grand Theft Auto 5: 2013, 2014, and 2021. Some believe this is in reference to Grand Theft Auto 5's original release in 2013, the re-release for PS4/Xbox One in 2014, and then presumably Grand Theft Auto 6 in 2021. Once again this could be another misconception with Grand Theft Auto 5 on PS5/Xbox Series X, but an obvious nod with a bunch of doors at an airport isn't exactly a confirmation.
Some have even pointed to a poster for a rock band in Max Payne 3 as a potential big-brain release date teasing from eight years ago. The poster lists dates for concerts, several of which line up with release dates for games that came out both before and after Max Payne 3. While year is never listed obviously, each month and day matches up with Grand Theft Auto 4, Grand Theft Auto 5, and also Red Dead Redemption 2. Of course, the last date on the poster is October 29 for "Vice City," which many presume is the date for Grand Theft Auto 6. Could just be a cheeky in-joke for developers or a total coincidence, but there's no way to tie this information to specific years, so it's not credible either.
Either way, fans and insiders will look for anything to try and drum up rumors and potential dates for Grand Theft Auto 6. With Grand Theft Auto 5 being one of the best-selling games of all time, obviously expectations are high for the next game. Any kind of morsel of information about Grand Theft Auto 6 is valuable to fans, which is why a lot of these rumors/leaks from all sources should be taken with a grain of salt.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is reportedly in development.