No official “development started” date for GTA 6 has ever been released by Rockstar, yet the timeline is clearly traceable through press reports and public documents. Kotaku reported in 2020 that early work began around 2014, shortly after GTA V’s original release, with a small team prototyping ideas. Full production, meaning the bulk of the studio shifting to the project, kicked off around 2019 after Red Dead Redemption 2 shipped in October 2018.
That puts the total development span at roughly 12 years from concept to the November 19, 2026 launch, with about 7 years of full-scale production. The gap between GTA V (September 2013) and GTA VI (November 2026) is 13 years, the longest between mainline entries in the series. For comparison, GTA IV to GTA V took five years.
Development was reportedly disrupted by internal delays, the pandemic, and a major September 2022 leak that exposed early footage and forced Rockstar to accelerate some internal processes. The game was delayed twice: from 2025 to May 26, 2026, then to November 19, 2026. Rockstar’s parent company Take-Two has called the current date “final” in earnings calls, though Rockstar itself hasn’t used that word.