The GTA 6 release date is currently one of the hottest topics in gaming, but it’s not one that has been addressed by developers Rockstar. And gamers will also want to know what one of the most important titles in history will have in store for them when it finally arrives.
Release date
Nonetheless, information on the GTA 6 release date has not exactly been forthcoming. Rockstar has refused to release any information whatsoever on this subject as of yet, with the focus of the software house being trained squarely on Red Dead Redemption 2. But with the Western shooter launching later this year, attention will turn to GTA 6 sooner rather than later.
What would be wonderful, and give some indication of the GTA 6 release date, would be if Rockstar released a trailer at the E3 trade show. That is probably unlikely, but the company has at least confirmed that GTA 6 development is underway. Considering the focus on getting Red Dead 2 finished, this development is likely to be rather tentative, but at least the game is already in the pipeline.
Considering what we know about the GTA 6 release date thus far, we can reasonably expect the game to appear in 2021 at the earliest.
Rockstar talk
While the developer has refused to talk about the GTA 6 release date, Rockstar President Leslie Benzies has at least given it some indication regarding the development cycle for this project. While the final GTA 6 concept has yet to be finalized, some ideas for the game have been floated and played around with at Rockstar. Benzies took some time to explain how this works to the media.
“It comes from the idea first. Where it is going to be set is the first question. Then that defines the missions; you’re doing different things in LA than in New York or Miami. The map and story get worked up together, and the story is a basic flow of how it works out so you can layer the mission in.”
With the Rockstar president also stating that the developer has 45 years’ worth of ideas up its sleeve, there should be no shortage of new concepts when GTA 6 emerges.
Female protagonist
One aspect of the game that continues to be strongly pushed is the idea of a female protagonist. Every GTA game thus far has included central characters that were male, even though females have always played a significant role in the GTA universe. From Franklin, Trevor and Michael from GTA 5, Niko from GTA 4 or good old Carl “CJ” Johnson from GTA San Andreas, all playable characters have been male, at least outside of the GTA Online world.
But it is strongly, and increasingly, suggested that will be a female character at the center of the GTA 6 universe. This will probably be one of several central characters, with Rockstar likely to retain its multiple playable character approach introduced in GTA 5.
New setting
It is an absolute certainty that GTA 6 will be set in a fresh location, with Vice City, Liberty City, and San Andreas having been used thus far in the major games in the series. This could mean that the smart money is on a game set in a Miami-like urban area; essentially an update of GTA: Vice City. This would no doubt be popular, but Rockstar may also wish to diverge from previous policy this time round.
While there has been some speculation that the game could be set outside of the United States when the GTA 6 release date arrives, this is probably unlikely. Tokyo had been particularly mooted, but the whole ethos of the GTA game world seems to suit the US and its gun culture.
More interiors
One thing that Rockstar has been particularly urged to work on with GTA 6 is including more interior venues in the game. While the game world in the previous GTA incarnation was certainly impressive, many of the shops, and even some of the recognisable vendors, from previous games could not be entered.
Increased interaction with the stores, houses and buildings of the GTA 6 universe would undoubtedly be welcome.
First-person emphasis
FPS gaming is becoming ever more popular, and the introduction of this for GTA 5 was undoubtedly a wise move. However, it was also extremely difficult to play the game accurately in this mode, meaning that it was effectively more of a gimmick than a valid gameplay choice.
For GTA 6, Rockstar will be working on producing a first-person system that makes the infamous crime game more of a legitimate FPS title.
Huge map
It is also believed that when in the GTA 6 release date arrives that the game will feature a staggeringly huge map. Considering the capabilities of the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One, not to mention the next Generation of video games consoles, it has been suggested that GTA 6 will deliver a game area larger than those included in GTA 5, GTA 4 and GTA: San Andreas put together.
This is a pretty mind-boggling concept, and it will be incredibly impressive if Rockstar can indeed deliver it.
VR support
Finally, Rockstar is almost bound to embrace virtual reality, even though this concept has yet to really take off as a mainstream gaming concept. But the GTA world has always been about exaggerated realism, and this means that it meshes perfectly with the concept of VR. Expect virtual reality to be a major marketing ploy as the GTA 6 release date approaches.
