Rockstar titles always seem to be shrouded in mystery until they’re suddenly unveiled by the publisher itself, as was the case withGrand Theft Auto 5and now seems to be the case withGrand Theft Auto 6. Tons of rumors and alleged “leaks” tend to fly around, but Rockstar is often very tight-lipped until the official unveil. Right now, it seems fans are in that awkward middle ground where rumors have reached their height without knowing anything about the game itself.
There’s very little known aboutGrand Theft Auto 6, at least about anything specific. It does officially exist, that much has been corroborated by multiple sources, as if it wasn’t obvious enough already. Considering the massive success ofGrand Theft Auto 5and the franchise in general, one of the most popular game series of all time isn’t disappearing any time soon. That being said, without the first reveal for the game, concrete information on the sixthGrand Theft Autogame has been incredibly dry and sparse. Here’s what’s currently rumored and teased about the game.
Incremental and Consistent Development Approach
Perhaps the most credible rumor we have so far comes from a follow-up to Kotaku’s reporting on the “Culture of Crunch” at Rockstar Games. While the bulk of the article discusses development pipeline and work culture changes at the publisher, one specific portion of the article piqued the interests of fans. When discussing some of the positive culture changes made at Rockstar Games after the backlash, there was a specific reference to the benefits made toGrand Theft Auto 6’s development. Apparently Rockstar’s management team will beimplementing a more “moderately sized” game upon initial release, and then consistently updating the game over time with new content. The idea is to help curb the working culture reputation Rockstar has attained due to their development team’s heavy reliance on crunch in the past.
Essentially that would mean, rather than releasing a gigantic game outright, a more measured approach could be taken when developing the game’s content. Hard to tellwhat that method would specifically apply to inGrand Theft Auto 6, or if that essentially means the game’s release would have a smaller map at first or if its story content is expanded over time. Technically, Rockstar has taken this development approach already, but in a different capacity withGrand Theft Auto Online. That portion of the game expanded far beyond its initial state, turning into a behemoth of an online experience. A similar approach is occurring withRed Dead Redemption 2’s multiplayer experience. It’s very possible this constant updates approach could apply toGrand Theft Auto Online’s next iteration withGrand Theft Auto 6.
Returning to Vice City
Outside of that development insight, there’s not much known about the game itself. The most popular theory backed by rumors/leaks is thatGrand Theft Auto 6returns to the Miami-like Vice Citysetting again. To some extent this theory makes the most sense, considering pastGrand Theft Autotitles have revisited the fictional parodies of American cities multiple times.Grand Theft Auto 4returned to Liberty City which was introduced inGrand Theft Auto 3, and expanded on inGrand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. Every entry in the series since 2001’sGrand Theft Auto 3has revolved around the use of Liberty City, Vice City, or San Andreas as the game’s world.
Considering the most recent release ofGrand Theft Auto 5brought players back to San Andreas, it’s easy to assume the natural progression means Vice City is up next. Many rumors and leaks seem to point to Vice City (and even surrounding areas likeGrand Theft Auto’s version of the Everglades) for the next game, likely due toGrand Theft Auto’s track record thus far making it the most obvious choice. All manner of justifications have been made, ranging from reports from anonymous sources tometa references like aGrand Theft Auto Onlineracing DLC map. That’s even assuming Rockstar Games chooses to stick to the formula and not decide to branch the franchise out to a completely new or lesser known location. The series' setting has never been truly static, and could expand on existing cities in theGrand Theft Autouniverse like San Fiero (parody of San Francisco) or Las Venturas (parody of Las Vegas).
RELATED:Possible Grand Theft Auto 6 Locations
Multiple Protagonists Again
Piggybacking off ofGrand Theft Auto 5’s story content, another prominent rumor for the next game is the use of multiple playable protagonists.Grand Theft Auto 5’s story crafted an innovative narrative that revolved around Michael, Trevor, and Franklin, as their lives intertwined and the three began their criminal enterprises together.The trio of protagonists inGrand Theft Auto 5, and the freedom to switch between them on the fly, was received very positively from fans and critics alike. This rumor forGrand Theft Auto 6is the most problematic because there’s no real consensus between each rumor/leak.
Most other leakers have either not corroborated or outright denied multiple playable characters. Other rumors have stated a single male and female protagonist, while other rumors stateGrand Theft Auto 6will have both a male and female protagonist. Some state the series will be returning to the singular protagonist model traditionalGrand Theft Autogames have had. Understandably, ifGrand Theft Auto 6brought back multiple protagonists it would be in response to how well that concept was received in the last game. At the same time, it becomes much more difficult story-wise to craft a narrative with multiple playable characters at the core of the singleplayer experience.
The State of Grand Theft Auto 6’s Development
Lastly, there’ve been several recent rumors/leaks regarding the state of the game’s development. Most recently, a leak allegesthe narrative forGrand Theft Auto 6has already been finalizedfor the singleplayer story. According to the leak, the story forGrand Theft Auto 6was finished prior to lead writer Dan Houser retiring from Rockstar Games as of March 2020. This leak isn’t the most surprising of the bunch, considering nailing down the narrative for a game likeGrand Theft Autois usually one of the first things done in the game development process.
With that in mind, it does coincide with additional leaks regardingGrand Theft Auto6’s state of development. A separate leak from a reputable Rockstar Games leaker (Tez2) stated thatdevelopment ofGrand Theft Auto 6is around “60 or 70 percent done"on the entire game. The only possible disproving of this leak comes from Jason Schreier, formerly of Kotaku, stating development was in a much earlier stage. It is important to note that these perspectives of development are largely subjective, and neither gave an exact timeline as to how far away each game is.
Overall, it’s safe to sayGrand Theft Auto 6is still a ways away from releaseat this point. Until fans hear from Rockstar directly, many of these rumors could be incredibly wrong. That being said, rumors and leaks have been accurate in the past, so fans may have a good idea what to expect when the game is revealed.
Grand Theft Auto 6is reportedly in development.
MORE:GTA 6: Why Now is the Time for a Female Protagonist
