How long did GTA 6 take to make? Development time, budget and the Burj Khalifa rumor
GTA 6 took more than eight years to make, Rockstar's leaders told Bloomberg, after a first research trip to Miami in 2015. The full timeline, and what's known about the budget.
GTA 6 took more than eight years to make, according to Rockstar Games' leaders, who walked Bloomberg Businessweek through its development in October 2026. The research started earlier still: the team's first trip to Miami was in 2015. Grand Theft Auto VI comes out Nov. 19, 2026, 13 years and two months after Grand Theft Auto V, and Rockstar hasn't said what it cost.
GTA 6 development at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How long did GTA 6 take to make? | More than eight years, Rockstar's leaders told Bloomberg |
| When did work begin? | The first research trip to Miami was in 2015 |
| When did Rockstar confirm it? | Feb. 4, 2022, when it said active development was "well underway" |
| When was it revealed? | Dec. 4, 2023, with Trailer 1 |
| How many delays? | Two: from fall 2025 to May 26, 2026, then to Nov. 19, 2026 |
| How long after GTA 5? | 13 years and two months |
| How much did it cost? | Rockstar and Take-Two haven't said |
How long did GTA 6 take to make?
More than eight years, Bloomberg reported after interviewing Rockstar's top staff at its Edinburgh office in late September. Rob Nelson, co-studio head of Rockstar North, and others made the first research trip to Miami in 2015. In its early days the game was code-named Project Americas, because the plan was to cover large parts of North and South America; it was later cut down to Miami and its surroundings, Bloomberg says. The game is set in Leonida, a fictional state with six regions; our map guide has what's known about its size.
Rockstar didn't confirm the game publicly until Feb. 4, 2022, when it said active development of the next Grand Theft Auto was "well underway." It revealed the name, the state of Leonida and a 2025 window with Trailer 1 on Dec. 4, 2023.
GTA 6 development timeline
- Sept. 17, 2013: Grand Theft Auto V comes out.
- 2015: Rockstar's first research trip to Miami for the next GTA, according to Bloomberg.
- 2018: Red Dead Redemption 2 comes out. Rockstar has 2,441 employees at the time, Bloomberg reports.
- Feb. 4, 2022: Rockstar confirms active development.
- Dec. 4, 2023: Trailer 1 names Grand Theft Auto VI, the state of Leonida and a 2025 window.
- May 2, 2025: First delay, to May 26, 2026.
- May 6, 2025: Trailer 2.
- Nov. 6, 2025: Second delay, to Nov. 19, 2026.
- Aug. 27, 2026: An Extended Look, a 26-minute video, premieres on Netflix and YouTube.
- Oct. 15, 2026: The Launch Trailer.
- Nov. 19, 2026: GTA 6 comes out on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
The dates from here to launch, from the Nov. 12 pre-load on, are in our launch calendar.
Why was GTA 6 delayed?
Rockstar moved the game twice. The first delay, announced May 2, 2025, took it from the fall 2025 window to May 26, 2026. The second, on Nov. 6, 2025, moved it to Nov. 19, 2026, and Rockstar said the extra months would let it finish the game with the level of polish players expect.
Both delays went through Jennifer Kolbe, Rockstar's head of publishing, who called Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick each time, Bloomberg reports. Of the second call, she remembers him saying, "You're kidding. Please tell me you're kidding." Take-Two has repeated the Nov. 19 date in every set of quarterly results since; our release date guide has the full history.
How much did GTA 6 cost to make?
Nobody official has said. Take-Two has never disclosed the budget, and it declined to confirm a figure to Fortune. The numbers you'll see online, such as about $2 billion for development and marketing combined, are outside estimates; Fortune cites one, from a ranking compiled by Zero1 Gaming.
Did GTA 6 cost more than the Burj Khalifa?
A popular rumor says GTA 6 cost more than the $1.5 billion it took to build Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building. Kolbe shot that down, Bloomberg reports. Rockstar still won't give its own number.
How many people made GTA 6?
Rockstar nearly doubled in size while making it, from 2,441 employees when Red Dead Redemption 2 came out in 2018 to 4,711 across 12 offices, Bloomberg reports. When the team realized it couldn't produce all the non-player characters the game needed, Rockstar quickly set up a Los Angeles studio of writers, producers and directors just to make them. Rockstar hasn't said how many of its staff worked on GTA 6, and the credits aren't out yet.
Did Rockstar crunch on GTA 6?
Kolbe told Bloomberg she told staff the game wouldn't be finished through crunch, and she called the result "certainly better than Red Dead II was."
How long after GTA 5 does GTA 6 come out?
Thirteen years and two months. Grand Theft Auto V came out Sept. 17, 2013, and GTA 6 comes out Nov. 19, 2026, the longest wait between two main Grand Theft Auto games. GTA IV came out in 2008, five years before GTA V. Our GTA 6 vs. GTA 5 guide covers what's changed.
For more of what Rockstar's leaders told Bloomberg, and the two new images that ran with the feature, see our story on it.
Questions readers ask
- How long did GTA 6 take to make?
- More than eight years, according to Rockstar's leaders, who described the game's development to Bloomberg Businessweek in October 2026. The team's first research trip to Miami was in 2015.
- When did GTA 6 development start?
- Rockstar's first research trip for the game was in 2015, Bloomberg reports. Rockstar first confirmed publicly that active development was well underway on Feb. 4, 2022.
- How much did GTA 6 cost to make?
- Rockstar and Take-Two haven't said. Figures such as $2 billion that circulate online are outside estimates, and Take-Two has declined to confirm any number.
- Did GTA 6 cost more than the Burj Khalifa?
- Rockstar says no. Its head of publishing, Jennifer Kolbe, shot down the rumor that it cost more than the $1.5 billion the tower took to build, Bloomberg reports, though she didn't give a figure.
- How many years after GTA 5 does GTA 6 come out?
- Thirteen years and two months. Grand Theft Auto V came out Sept. 17, 2013, and GTA 6 comes out Nov. 19, 2026.
- Why was GTA 6 delayed?
- Rockstar moved it twice, from fall 2025 to May 26, 2026, and then to Nov. 19, 2026. It said the extra months would let it finish the game with the level of polish players expect.
What did you think?
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