Rockstar Next Game After GTA 6 - When Its Release and What Could It Be

There’s less than a month left until the release of the most anticipated game of 2026, GTA 6. It seems that players’ excitement is growing by the day, but at the same time, there have recently been hints about Rockstar Games’ next project—namely, that it won’t take as long as it took to develop the sixth installment of their flagship franchise.

Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier discussed this in a recent article about the development of GTA 6. Of course, no specific details were provided, but the story noted that Rockstar won’t spend as much time on its next game as it did on GTA 6, which began full-scale development eight years ago, with the first concepts emerging almost immediately after the release of the fifth installment—in late 2014 and early 2015.

Rockstar will most likely devote the entire 2027 to further development of GTA 6—including the release of the PC version, which has recently been the subject of rumors, and the launch of a full-fledged multiplayer mode, not to mention the release of regular updates and patches. But as Phil Hooker, Director of Technology at Rockstar North, stated in an interview with Schreier, thanks to the technologies used in GTA 6, the studio will be able to release its new games faster, building on an existing foundation. He cited the example of when Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was released just one year after Grand Theft Auto III, although in this case, we’ll likely have to wait a few more years before we see a new title.

As for what Rockstar’s next game will be after GTA 6, the most obvious option is a new installment in the Red Dead Redemption series—whether it’s Red Dead Redemption 3, which would be a full-fledged sequel to the original, a new story, or another prequel. Given that sales of the second entry had reached 87 million copies as of August, it would be foolish for Rockstar to write off the franchise—but that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what their next move will be. Most likely, a potential Red Dead Redemption 3 will be released on the next generation of consoles (of course, after an updated version of GTA 6 is released on those platforms—something similar happened in 2014 with GTA 5, when the game became available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One).

So, in about 3–4 years, we can expect a new project from Rockstar Games. Oddly enough, the insider who leaked some details about GTA 6 previously stated that the studio’s next game would be a sequel to L.A. Noire. According to him, the game will be set in San Francisco in the 1960s, and the story will center on the legendary Zodiac Killer. Given all of the above, this scenario certainly shouldn’t be ruled out. And let’s not forget that, from the publisher’s perspective, Rockstar’s next release after GTA 6 will be the Max Payne 1 & 2 Remake, which is being developed by Remedy Entertainment—rumor has it the game could be released already next year.

In the meantime, Grand Theft Auto VI, Rockstar's next release, is coming out on November 19 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.