Rockstar Games has officially confirmed that Grand Theft Auto 6 is in active development. There have been a number of rumors regarding GTA 6 over the years, yet there hadn't been any official confirmation that the game was being worked on until now.
The reason why there were doubts regarding GTA 6's existence is due to the continued success of GTA 5 over multiple console generations. GTA 5 is the second best-selling video game of all time, only bested by Mojang's Minecraft, while the Rockstar game's online counterpart, GTA Online, continues to be a big money-spinner for the developers. The game was originally released during the PS3/Xbox 360 generation, yet it continues to sell each year. The fast-approaching release of GTA 5 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S means that there is even less incentive to push the series forward into a new game, as GTA 5 is expected to keep bringing in money on the new platforms.
The speculation regarding the existence of GTA 6 is finally at an end, as Rockstar Games has officially revealed in a post on its website that GTA 6 is in active development. Rockstar Games also took to Twitter to share the news, offering the following statement to its millions of fans worldwide:
"Many of you have been asking about a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series. With every new project, our goal is always to significantly move beyond what we've previously delivered. We're pleased to confirm that active development for the next entry in the series is underway."
Unfortunately, all that has been revealed so far is that the game is in development. There is no word regarding GTA 6's release window or the platforms that it will appear on. The PS5 and Xbox Series X/S might be on the market, but the ongoing console shortages mean that lots of games are still receiving cross-gen releases. It's possible the massive number of players that are still on PS4 and Xbox One needn't worry about being left behind, at least if the game is intended to launch within the next few years, though this depends on whether Rockstar is ultimately aiming for new-gen hardware or not. The longer the development cycle takes, the more likely the older systems will be left behind.
The speculation regarding the existence of GTA 6 has been endless and it's good to finally hear some confirmation of its development. It was inevitable that a new GTA game would be released at some point, but the revenue stream of GTA 5 and GTA Online likely slowed plans for a new game in the franchise. It's unclear exactly how long it will take before the new release hits store shelves, but it's at least now confirmed that fans will one day be able to cause havoc in Grand Theft Auto 6.
Source: Rockstar Games, Rockstar Games/Twitter