GTA 5 is literally one of the most popular open-world games on the planet, so it’s no surprise that people are looking forward to the next installment of the franchise.
Unfortunately, Rockstar is a notoriously secretive developer, so there’s very little information to go on. Add that to the fact that GTA 5 is still incredibly popular, and you can probably see why they aren’t in any rush to get the next iteration.
When Will GTA 6 Come Out?
Well, the real answer to that question is that nobody really knows . . . Well, except for Rockstar.
That being said, there’s a veritable bevy of rumors, assumptions, and speculation on when it will come out.
According to industry analyst Michael Pachter, we’ll probably see a release in either 2021 or 2022. I’d have to agree with that assessment since it very much looks like we aren’t going to see a GTA 6 in this generation of consoles. Also, since both Scarlet and the hyped-up PlayStation 5 are likely not going to come out until 2020, we’re looking at at least a year or two before we hear anything.
Similarly, GTA 5 is still incredibly popular, and Red Dead Redemption 2 was also just released and is incredibly popular, so they’re likely going to wait until both games start losing significant numbers before releasing anything.
All that being said, GTA 5 launched in September 2013 (wow, it’s been ages), so the game is due for the next installment, at least in the next 2-3 years.
Where Will GTA 6 Be Set?
There are a ton of rumors about this flying around, and it’s pretty hard to get any solid evidence anywhere. Some people say it could be as massive as the whole of the United States (doubtful), others claim that you’ll be able to fly back and forth between a US city and South American Cities (Again, also doubtful).
There’s also been a slightly more credible suggestion that GTA 6 might take place in London, which would be rather interesting.
For the most part, though, it’s best to look at the maps historically and go from there.
Liberty City, Vice City, and San Andreas have been the three main locations that all the GTA games have taken place in, such as with the original GTA and GTA 3 both having covered all three. Now, GTA 4 was set in Liberty City, and GTA 5 is set in San Andreas, so it seems very likely that GTA 6 is going to be set in Vice City.
Given the popularity and emphasis on the robbery aspect of the game, Vice City would actually be an excellent place to take the games current mechanics and run with them. That being said, just make sure to take all this with a grain of salt, since it’s really all just speculation and educated guesses at this point.
We just hope it will feature tons of awesome soundtracks like the previous installments did.
Will GTA 6 Come Out On PC?
Along with GTA 6 coming out on next-gen consoles, it’s almost 100% certain that it will come out on PC. However, you’re going to need a mean gaming machine to run it, as Rockstar isn’t famous for optimizing their titles to accommodate budget rigs.
I can totally get the apprehension some might have, especially since Rockstar has infamously kept Red Dead Redemption 1 & 2 off the PC, so some might worry that they’ll follow suit for GTA 6.
Thankfully, you shouldn’t need to worry about that since pretty much all the GTA games from GTA 3 have appeared on PC. It would also be somewhat insane of them to ignore one of the biggest gaming markets out there (like they are for RDR2, but that’s a rant for another time).
GTA 6 Rumors
As you might expect, there’s been a ton of rumors and fantasies of what might be going on in GTA 6, with very few credible sources to pin any hopes on.
#1 The Reddit ‘Leak’
This was a supposed leak that came out a couple of months ago based on a Reddit post and first broken by GamesRadar. It included a long bullet-point list of what could or would be included in the next GTA game. Ranging from it being set in the 70s/80s, to being inspired by the Netflix show Narcos. Oh, and it said that there are going to be four main protagonists.
So yeah, quite a lot of claims there, although I wouldn’t put much weight on the Reddit post as it’s been deleted.
A good rule of thumb is that if a video game leak is a giant list of incredible-sounding bullet points, it’s fake https://t.co/lWHFRv9xZk pic.twitter.com/o9SZWcQPuJ
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) July 2, 2019
Fortunately, you can find a great screencap of the post by Kotaku’s News Editor Jason Schreier.
#2 The Know YouTube Video
So another potential rumor is one based off a video made by a channel called The Know, wherein they claim GTA 6 is coming in 2021-2022 and that it’s codenamed Project Americas. The reason for that is that you will supposedly be able to fly between the Americas (North and South), as mentioned earlier.
It also claims that the game will be set in Vice City (that part being believable) and will mostly focus on drug-running (similarly believable). It also says that the game will take place in the 80s, so it would certainly fit the theme if that was the case.
#3 The Reddit Leak vol. 2
As I was updating this post, the third leak appeared and then disappeared just as quickly. An anonymous user on Reddit has posted three unofficial screenshots of GTA 6. Both the account and images were shortly deleted. However, fans have managed to save the images which are now circulating the internet, causing a new wave of GTA hype.
Here are the three controversial photos:
What era could this car be from?
As this scene was not seen in previous installments, it’s possible that the leak is not fake.
Map, overlay, and scenography are also brand new.
Final Thoughts
GTA is an awesome franchise, and I still remember playing the original on PS1, so I totally get wanting to know everything about the next installment. Even though it’s likely that GTA 6 is going to be an even bigger and more awesome game than GTA 5, it’s important to remember that Rockstar is pretty secretive about their games and their plans.
As such, take everything you read about GTA 6 with a grain of salt, just so that you don’t build yourself up to be disappointed later on. While you wait, you can download some of the most amazing GTA V mods.
Finally, if you own an iPhone, you can try out GTA San Andreas remastered for mobile phones. We featured it as one of the best iOS games to try, and you might just fall in love with it.
If you can bear the nostalgia…