At this point, Grand Theft Auto 5 has enjoyed success on three generations of consoles, starting life on the PS3 and Xbox 360 back in 2013. It's since gone down as one of the highest-grossing video games of all time, just behind Minecraft. Its position at the top spot, or near to it at least, has been well deserved these past nine years. However, many would agree that it's time to move on, and while the next installment is in development, Rockstar itself appears to be ready to say goodbye to GTA 5.
In a recent report from PCGamesN, the Grand Theft Auto 5 studio has published the game's credits on its website, along with a "thank you" message to everyone who has been involved with the project since its original release. Given that credit sequences are typically played at the end of something, be it a film or game, this could suggest that Rockstar is saying a final goodbye to one of its most lucrative titles. Of course, it's hard to be certain at this stage, but there have been rumors that GTA 6 announcements are on the horizon, so the developer could be leaving the fifth installment, as well as GTA Online, behind now.
Given that Grand Theft Auto 5 was released on September 17, it sort of makes sense that Rockstar would be ready to say a final goodbye close to the game's anniversary. Generally, the studio has been pretty quiet about development on the next entry in the long-running series. In fact, recently, Rockstar banned the words 'GTA 6' from Twitch chat, though there was no official statement given on why people aren't allowed to mention it on the streaming platform, but hopefully there will be some info on the new game shortly.
GTA 6 has allegedly been in development since 2014, which, if true, means the studio was making a move towards the next installment just one year after GTA 5 came out. It's not clear what exactly is meant by "in development" as that could be related to pre-production work that may have lasted several years.
In any case, the follow-up is coming, but it could be a good couple of years before it sees the light of day. There have been plenty of Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks and rumors, such as where it's likely to be set or that it may feature a female protagonist for the first time, but all fans can do at this stage is wait to see what, if anything, Rockstar makes official over the coming weeks and months.
Grand Theft Auto 5 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: PCGamesN, Rockstar Games