Rockstar Games has officially announced that Grand Theft Auto 6 is in active development, meaning that its first trailer could arrive later this year. The eagerly anticipated follow-up to GTA 5 has been rumored for years now, with various reports and rumors indicating that the sequel may feature the first HD universe appearance of Vice City, GTA's fictional equivalent of Florida's Miami. This is the first time that Rockstar itself has officially confirmed GTA 6, and given the language in the announcement telling people to "stay tuned" to the Rockstar Newswire, it's possible that a first look at the title could arrive further into 2022.
Despite it being over eight years since the release of GTA 5, this is the first time that Rockstar has revealed that a sequel is in development. This is, in part, due to the fact the studio has focused development on several major projects since GTA 5's release, including multiple remasters of that title (with another arriving to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X March this year); expansions to its multiplayer mode, GTA Online; and the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018, arguably Rockstar's most ambitious release to date. Recently, many GTA fans have voiced their frustration with Rockstar for the studio's radio silence regarding GTA 6, as, although GTA Online and GTA 5 have both shown great longevity, there has been a feeling that a full sequel to those games has been long overdue. Given GTA 5 first released in 2013, when GTA 6 does eventually launch, it will mark the biggest gap between installments in the franchise ever.
Aside from acknowledging that development of "the next entry in the [GTA] series" is underway on its Twitter account, Rockstar Games hasn't provided any info regarding GTA 6. However, given that the PS5 and Xbox Series X GTA 5 releases March 15, fans should expect the trailer to come after that date. It's likely that Rockstar is going to want to focus attention on the newest edition of GTA 5 for now, and a full-blown look at GTA 6 that soon would potentially distract from the latest remaster's launch. However, given that Rockstar has told fans to "stay tuned" to its Newswire for more info on Grand Theft Auto 6, it would be wise not to rule out a trailer coming before the end of 2022. It's unlikely that a trailer is coming imminently - and especially not, given the new updates planned for GTA Online in 2022 - but it's more believable that a first trailer could come around October time, similar to the announcement trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2016.
Don't Expect A GTA 6 Trailer Before Autumn 2022
Rockstar is yet to reveal when it will provide fans with a first look at GTA 6, but it's unlikely it'll arrive in the immediate coming months. Between the new launch of GTA 5 on current-gen consoles and future updates to GTA Online, it makes more sense for the studio to focus on sharing announcements for those projects instead than to fully commit to GTA 6 just yet. The studio also didn't reveal just how far along development on GTA 6 is either. There have been contradicting reports and rumors of GTA 6's development over the last two years, with some claiming that it's far along in development and others saying that it's still in the early stages.
Whatever the case, and regardless of Rockstar's own elusive style of communication, "stay tuned" implies that players may not have to wait too long for new details regarding GTA 6. It's doubtful that a full reveal will take place in the coming months, but an announcement later in 2022 - possibly around October time - would make sense. Rockstar tends to announce projects when they're between six months to a year away from their full launch, and given Grand Theft Auto 6 isn't going to release anytime soon, the earliest possible window for a full reveal could be the end of this year.
Source: Twitter/Rockstar Games