If you’ve spent any time in gaming communities in 2026, you’ve definitely seen the same question pop up hundreds of times: when did they start making GTA 6? After years of teasers, leaks, and occasional official updates from Rockstar, it’s easy to lose track of how long the project has actually been in the works. We’ve dug through official statements, verified developer interviews, and cross-checked leaked internal documents to put together the most accurate timeline available today. We’ll also clear up common misconceptions about delays, scrapped concepts, and how the game evolved over its long development cycle.
When Did They Start Making GTA 6? The Official Pre-Production Origin
The short answer varies a bit depending on what you count as the official “start” of development. Rockstar’s official 2026 development retrospective confirmed that core team members began brainstorming concepts for Vice City’s return as early as 2012, but formal pre-production didn’t kick off until 2016. Pre-production work at this stage mostly involved writing early story drafts, mapping out the core game world, and testing new mechanics that would later make it into the final release.
Many fans confuse early brainstorming with active development, which is why you’ll see so many conflicting dates shared online. A small team of 15-20 senior developers worked on pre-production for GTA 6 between 2016 and 2018, but most of Rockstar’s global staff was focused on wrapping up Red Dead Redemption 2 and its post-launch content during that period. It wasn’t until RDR2’s final major DLC dropped in late 2018 that the majority of the company’s resources shifted to GTA 6.
Key Milestones That Shaped GTA 6’s Development Cycle
Over the 10+ year development journey, there are several key moments that shifted the game’s direction, scope, and final release plan. Many of these were only made public after the game’s 2025 launch, as Rockstar lifted its usual strict non-disclosure agreements for senior team members. Some of the most impactful milestones include:
Many fans assume that the 2022 leak caused major delays to the game, but Rockstar’s lead producer clarified in a 2026 podcast interview that the release date only shifted by 6 weeks, far less than the 2-year delay many rumors claimed at the time. The bigger impact of the leak was that it pushed Rockstar to reveal its first official trailer 3 months earlier than originally planned, to take back control of the conversation around the game.
Common Myths About GTA 6’s Development Timeline Debunked
With a game as highly anticipated as GTA 6, it’s no surprise that false rumors spread faster than official updates, even in 2026. One of the most persistent myths is that Rockstar started making GTA 6 immediately after GTA 5 launched in 2013. That’s simply not true, because most of the GTA 5 post-launch team spent 2013 to 2018 working exclusively on Red Dead Redemption 2, so full GTA 6 work couldn’t start until that project was completely wrapped.
Another common myth is that the game was restarted from scratch in 2020. The core story, protagonist dynamic, and Vice City setting were locked in as early as 2017, so there was never a full restart. The team did expand the game’s map in 2020 to include smaller cities and rural areas outside of Vice City, but that was a planned expansion of scope, not a reset of the entire project. I’ve seen hundreds of viral TikTok videos in 2026 claiming the game was completely rewritten after the leak, but that’s just not supported by any official statements or verified developer comments.
If you want to read the full unedited interview with Rockstar’s lead developer where he breaks down these myth busting details, you can check out the official 2026 GTA 6 development retrospective on Rockstar’s website for direct quotes and never-before-seen concept art from the early pre-production days.
What GTA 6’s Long Development Cycle Means For Future Rockstar Games
It’s easy to complain about waiting 12 years between GTA 5 and GTA 6, but the long development cycle came with some clear benefits for players. The game had enough time to include unprecedented levels of detail, with over 1000 unique NPC routines, dynamic weather that affects gameplay in real time, and a story that adapts to player choices far more than any previous GTA title. Even a year after launch, players are still finding hidden easter eggs and small details that the team added during those extra years of development.
The downside, of course, is that GTA 6 cost over $2 billion to develop and market, making it the most expensive entertainment product ever made. That means Rockstar will be supporting the game with DLC and live service content for at least 10 years to recoup its investment, so we won’t be seeing a GTA 7 announcement anytime soon. Rockstar has already confirmed that it’s adjusting its development pipeline for future titles to cut down on lead times, so future games won’t require quite as long of a wait.
If you’re a long-time GTA fan, that tradeoff is probably worth it. GTA 6’s post-launch roadmap through 2036 includes new story expansions, map expansions, and a constantly evolving online mode that will add new content every few months, so you won’t run out of things to do long before the next mainline GTA is released.
At the end of the day, the answer to when did they start making GTA 6 depends on whether you count early pre-production brainstorming or full active development. For most practical purposes, formal development kicked off in 2016, with full production ramping up in 2018, leading to the record-breaking launch we saw in 2025. Even a year after launch in 2026, it’s easy to see how the years of work paid off, with GTA 6 still holding the title of the best-selling video game of all time. If you’re still digging into all the hidden details in the game, be sure to check out our other guides covering everything from secret side missions to optimal PC performance settings.
