Thanks to the first trailer being released by Rockstar Games in December 2023, ‘Grand Theft Auto 6‘ has been on the minds of every gamer for quite some time, and fans are chomping at the bit to find out when development started.
Considering that ‘GTA 5‘ was released in 2013, and that Rockstar has spent time developing ‘Red Dead Redemption 2,’ it is clear that the development of ‘GTA 6‘ has taken many years of careful planning and has been approached with the utmost care as one of the most ambitious open-world titles in gaming history.
Early Planning And Pre‑Production Of ‘GTA 6’
Pre-production is a very important stage for a game of this size and is the blueprint for creating a massive video game world filled with lots of characters and gameplay. The early pre-production was focused on brainstorming and planning; full production of the game did not commence until much later on.
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According to sources, Rockstar Games started pre-production for ‘Grand Theft Auto VI‘ almost immediately after finishing their last title, in about 2016. In pre-production, Rockstar started on early concept artwork, story concepts, and sketching out design elements.
Active Development Since 2018: A Long Journey
Rockstar Games fired all cylinders on ‘Grand Theft Auto VI‘, which began active development in 2018. The active development period consisted of developing and implementing the core systems of ‘Grand Theft Auto VI‘ and building the entire open world, the entire story & gameplay.
During the first few years of development, the developers for ‘GTA VI‘ expanded the size of the open world, changed some of the gameplay elements, and tested the new systems for gameplay. When Rockstar Games released the first official ‘GTA VI‘ trailer in 2023, the development team had already been developing ‘GTA VI‘ for about 5 years.
Including the pre-production portion of the overall development cycle, the complete development cycle of ‘GTA VI‘ has been over a decade and is one of Rockstar’s largest and most ambitious projects.
Key Milestones In ‘GTA 6’ Development Timeline
- 2013 to 2015 – Early idea/concept phase where the foundations were being laid for later development once GTA 5 had already been released.
- 2016 to 2018 – Preproduction focused on writing and designing a story and Technical Planning.
- 2018 – Active development commenced with building out the Game World and core systems.
- 2020 to 2022 – Progress made on gameplay, World-building and Internal Test Play.
- December 2023 – ‘GTA 6‘ was Officially Announced and would generate tremendous fan excitement.
- 2025 to 2026 – Final polishing/delay adjustments before being expected to be released.
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By the time ‘GTA 6‘ releases, its development will have spanned more than a decade, which proves how dedicated and committed Rockstar Games is to creating an incredibly rich and completely immersive experience for gamers.
