Rockstar Games believes its next major game could take less time to develop than Grand Theft Auto 6, as the studio expects to build on the technology and production systems created for its upcoming open-world title. In a making-of feature on GTA 6 published by Bloomberg, development heads Phil Hooker and Aaron Garbut explained how the work completed for the game could help Rockstar move faster on future projects.
Hooker said he feels confident the studio can now build on the groundwork established during GTA 6’s development instead of rebuilding its technology and tools for every new release. Garbut added that the team had changed several foundational elements for GTA 6, but those systems are now in place and do not need to be torn apart again.
The developers pointed to Grand Theft Auto 3 and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City as an example of how reusing existing technology can speed up production. Vice City arrived roughly a year after GTA 3, benefiting from work already completed on its predecessor. Rockstar’s modern games are considerably more complex, but the studio hopes its investment in GTA 6 will make future development more efficient.
GTA 6 is scheduled to launch on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The game was initially delayed to May 2026 before being pushed back again to November. Its lengthy development has taken place alongside Rockstar’s expansion to more than 4,700 employees across 12 offices.
Rockstar has not announced its next project, and neither Hooker nor Garbut provided a release window for a future game. The studio’s comments therefore do not guarantee that its next title will arrive within a specific number of years. Its development schedule will also depend on the project’s scale, technology requirements, and production demands.
Still, Rockstar’s plan to reuse the tools and systems developed for GTA 6 could help reduce the time needed to build future games. With more than a decade separating GTA 5 and GTA 6, fans will be watching to see whether the studio can shorten the gap between its next major releases.
