Key Takeaways
- Rockstar prioritizes perfection above all else, meaning each GTA game has to be groundbreaking in all aspects.
- GTA V‘s massive success and continuous revenue from GTA Online have likely led to the delayed the release of GTA VI.
- Each entry in the franchise is significantly larger and better than its predecessors, so it takes more time, money, and resources.
Back in the day, it seemed like a new GTA game hit the shelves every other year—and that’s because it did. The time gap between GTA III and GTA: San Andreas was only three years, with Vice City in between. So, why has it been a full 11 years since GTA V was released, yet we still don’t have GTA VI?
Rockstar Pursues Perfection
When Rockstar Games releases a new game, it sets a new industry standard for other publishers to follow, not just for that year but for the entire console generation. Each entry in the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption franchises features groundbreaking physics, stunning graphics, intricate storytelling, and an expansive open world.
Everything that Rockstar does has to be perfect, right down to the minutest detail, before the publisher deems it ready for consumers.
Perhaps no one has explained Rockstar’s philosophy better than Strauss Zelnick, the chair and CEO of Take-Two Interactive (the company that owns Rockstar Games). In an interview, he said: “I think that’s a challenge that the folks at Rockstar face every time there’s a new iteration of Grand Theft Auto. It needs to be something you’ve never seen before, and it needs to reflect our feelings about Grand Theft Auto, which is a big challenge for the team. Now, Rockstar’s answer is just seek perfection; seek nothing short of perfection, and we’ll get there.”
Each GTA game has pushed the envelope and managed to be bigger and better than its predecessor. Plus, GTA games are surprisingly complete at launch, which can’t be said for a lot of other games. Even their PC ports are well-optimized, though they take an extra year or two to come out (on top of the “standard” console wait).
Other than the disappointing GTA Definitive Trilogy remaster that dropped a few years ago, Rockstar Games has never released a “bad” or unfinished GTA game. Even the Definitive release was finally fixed for good in 2024.
The Success of GTA V and GTA Online
It’s hard to overstate the financial success of GTA V, which includes GTA Online. The game made $8.9 billion in revenue as of March 2024 and the online mode alone generated half a billion in profit in 2023. To put things into perspective, Cyberpunk 2077, another high-budget open-world game, “only” made $752 million in the four years since its launch.
The financial success of GTA V is largely due to microtransactions in the online mode and the franchise’s immense popularity which sees it frequently appearing in “top played” lists on all platforms.
Since GTA Online remains a major revenue stream for Rockstar, the publisher has every incentive to keep the game alive and feeling fresh, at least until it is replaced by GTA VI.
Resources that could’ve gone towards sequel development are instead used to maintain GTA Online. From a business perspective, this makes a lot of sense. It’s safer and easier to keep current paying customers happy while taking the time to make GTA VI perfect. It doesn’t hurt that Rockstar is effectively printing money while GTA Online remains so popular, either.
The Scale and Scope of GTA Games
Fans have come to expect a lot from GTA games, perhaps more than from any other franchise (even titans of the field like Mario). It can’t just be an evolution of the previous entry, it has to be a revolution in game design and it has to arrive with next to no flaws. Something like this takes a lot of time and money, particularly as games are always expanding in size and scope.
GTA games are not just about the never-before-seen visuals and intricate animations typical of an AAA game of this scale. It’s all the little details that truly bring them to life. The games are known for their dynamic weather and day-night cycles that impact systems like the number and type of pedestrians driving and walking or which wildlife you may encounter.
The radio stations feature a rich selection of tracks, there are many hidden side missions to discover and activities to partake in, not to mention all the easter eggs, silly NPC interactions, and many other details that add depth to the world. The writing and voice acting are top-notch, too.
Ever-Increasing Development Challenges
It takes a lot of time, money, and highly-skilled creative individuals to create a GTA game. While most games focus on one or two standout features, such as the story or combat, GTA games strive to recreate the real world and a story to go with it.
It’s also worth noting that the game industry as a whole has grown substantially over the years, which is evident in the budgets of GTA entries. San Andreas reportedly had a budget of under $10 million, GTA IV around $100 million, and GTA V around $265 million. Want to guess how much GTA VI will cost to make? Some leaks point to $2 billion. That’s several times GTA V’s budget, even after accounting for inflation.
Since so much money is at stake and expectations are so high, there’s a lot of pressure on everyone working on the game. Once an official release date is set, the pressure mounts further, leading to hectic work schedules and “crunch” to meet the deadline. The team working on Red Dead Redemption 2 had to do 100-hour weeks to ensure the game was ready on time.
Waiting a decade for a new GTA entry isn’t fun, but it’s not all that bad, either. Rockstar’s games are of exceptional quality and remain so even years after they’ve come out. If history is any indication, GTA VI will likely be a massive success, so I don’t mind the wait. Plus, there are loads of other games to play while waiting for GTA VI in the meantime.
