Grand Theft Auto VI could have been a significantly larger game, potentially releasing years earlier, according to a new report detailing its ambitious initial development.
When a small Rockstar Games team began planning the title, codenamed Project Americas, in Miami in 2015, their vision was expansive, reportedly encompassing "big swaths of land across both North and South America." This initial ambition was eventually pared down to focus on Miami and its surrounding areas for the final game.
Despite this reduction, the map for GTA 6 is still substantial, reportedly three times larger than the map featured in Red Dead Redemption II. The game will include Vice City, alongside other major locations in the fictional state of Leonida, a representation of Florida. Confirmed major locations mentioned include the Vice City, Leonida Keys, Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia, and Mount Kalaga.
Rockstar reportedly considered developing GTA 6 concurrently with Red Dead Redemption II, a strategy that could have brought the crime epic to market sooner. However, as Red Dead Redemption II's scope grew, staff were reassigned to ensure its 2018 release. This decision resulted in a delay of GTA 6 by "several years," though the work on Red Dead Redemption II was expected to benefit the later development of GTA 6.
According to the report, Rockstar's development approach has shifted from concurrent multi-project development across its studios to a more sequential model, with teams focusing on one project before moving to the next.
While Rockstar has denied rumors that GTA 6 cost $1.5 billion to develop, specific figures for its production budget remain undisclosed. The game has already generated an estimated $600 million in revenue through pre-sales, a figure projected to potentially reach $2 billion before its official launch.
GTA 6 was initially slated for a 2025 release, followed by a delay to May 2026, and then a further push to November 2026. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick expressed surprise at the second delay. The game is currently scheduled to launch on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, though Rockstar has not definitively ruled out further delays.