With the release date of Grand Theft Auto 6 still a mystery, it seems that fans will be waiting years before they see Red Dead Redemption 3. Rockstar Games' two biggest franchise are two sides of the same coin, with both focusing on dense open-world exploration and impactful narratives focusing on crime and corruption in America. While Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks and rumors have become common, and Rockstar has officially stated that the game is in development, the title's release window is still unknown. GTA 6 is likely years away, Red Dead Redemption 3 will keep fans waiting even longer.

Grand Theft Auto 5 launched back in 2013, so fans are extremely eager to get their hands on a sequel after nearly a decade of waiting. Nothing has been officially revealed about GTA 6, but countless rumors have been spread about what the open-world crime title may contain. Many assume that the next game will recreate Vice City, the Miami-inspired sunny city featured in 2002's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. However, other rumors suggest that the game will actually take players to multiple different cities or even locations outside of America. Rockstar Games confirmed Grand Theft Auto 6 as its next game back in 2020, but a lack of information suggests that the project is still years away.

Related: The Most Convincing GTA 6 Rumors

Following the launch of GTA 5, Rockstar Games released Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018. The open-world Wild West title serves as a prequel to the first RDR and immerses players in the waning days of the American frontier during the year 1899. The game gives players a massive and immersive world to explore alongside an emotional narrative that sees protagonist Arthur Morgan face his own morality and mortality. Since the release of RDR2 fans have been anticipating a potential Red Dead Redemtpion 3, which could take players back to America's early years for another gunslinging adventure. While Red Dead Redemption 3 following RDR2 seems incredibly likely, given the second game's massive success, this game will certainly come after GTA 6.

Rockstar Takes Its Time With Grand Theft Auto & Red Dead Redemption

RDR2's detailed and exciting gunfights overshadow GTA 5's more pedestrian gunplay.

With a release date for Grand Theft Auto 6 currently unknown, Red Dead Redemption 3 is no doubt many years away. Rockstar Games puts love and care into each entry in both of its open-world crime franchises, which is reflected in their lengthy development cycles. There was a three-year gap between the release of Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto 5, and then a five-year gap between GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2. Rockstar Games has yet to officially reveal GTA 6, suggesting that the title will likely launch in 2023 or 2024 at the earliest. Following the timeline established by previous releases, this would suggest that Red Dead Redemption 3 will possibly release in 2028 or 2029. However, having multiple teams working on both titles simultaneously could possibly lead to faster releases.

Rockstar Games tends to give Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption immense focus, which could bode poorly for the release dates of both GTA 6 and RDR3. The next entry in the modern-day series hasn't even gotten an official reveal yet, so Grand Theft Auto 6 is probably two years away at best. Based on this information, it is unlikely that fans will return to the Wild West in Red Dead Redemption 3 any earlier than 2028.

Next: GTA 6 Needs To Be More Like Red Dead Redemption 2