GTA 6 release date: good news and bad for Grand Theft Auto fans after surprise reveal

There was a glimmer of hope that the GTA 6 release date could be part of this week’s big PS5 reveal event. And for a second, fans may have even thought that something was big around the corner, as the Rockstar Games label appeared during the next-gen stream. There had been rumours, however unlikely, that the famous studio would be featured and it all came true for those watching. However, while there was some exciting news for PS5 gamers, it did not include anything connected to Grand Theft Auto 6.

In fact, it all but confirmed that the next Grand Theft Auto game is still years away from launch.

That’s because instead of anything GTA 6 related popping up, it was actually the announcement that GTA 5 and GTA Online are coming to the PS5.

And while it wasn’t revealed during the event, a press release suggests that Grand Theft Auto V is also coming to Xbox Series X in 2021.

More surprising is that a standalone version of GTA Online is also being worked on for next-gen devices, meaning you won’t need to buy the full game on the PlayStation 5.

The bad news for gamers hoping to play a new Grand Theft Auto game is that Rockstar Games are unlikely to release two in the same year.

So it seems likely that the earliest release date for GTA 6 will now be set for 2022, or beyond.

There have been warnings that fans were in for a long wait and fingers will be crossed that it won’t last a full decade.

So the bad news for PS4 and Xbox One gamers is that GTA 6 will not be available to play on current consoles.

The good news is that new content will be coming to GTA Online over the coming years, extending the life of the platform significantly.

Rockstar Games have never put a time limit on the highly profitable multiplayer mode, and moving to a standalone version certainly suggests longevity.

It will also be interesting to see if GTA Online transitions from the PS4 and Xbox One, like with what happened on the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Here’s the latest information from Rockstar Games on the situation involving GTA 5 coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X:

“As recently revealed at Sony’s PlayStation 5 digital event, the adventures of Michael, Franklin and Trevor are coming to a new generation of consoles, including PlayStation 5, in the second half of 2021.

“The new generation versions of GTAV will feature a range of technical improvements, visual upgrades and performance enhancements to take full advantage of the latest hardware, making the game more beautiful and more responsive than ever.

“And for the massive and vibrant community of Grand Theft Auto Online players worldwide, the journey through the ever-evolving, shared world of GTA Online will continue on to the new generation with more new updates including additional GTA Online content exclusive to the new consoles and PC.

“There will also be a new standalone version of GTA Online coming in the second half of 2021, which will be available for free exclusively for PlayStation 5 players during the first three months.

“Additionally, all PlayStation Plus members on PlayStation 4 will get GTA$1,000,000 (deposited into their in-game Maze Bank account within 72 hours of log-in) each month they play GTA Online until the launch of GTA Online on PlayStation 5.

“Stay tuned to the Rockstar Newswire for many more details on the new versions of GTAV and much more to come in the months ahead.”

Earlier this year, a report from VentureBeat revealed plans from Rockstar Games’ parent company Take-Two to ramp up their marketing spend. The SEC filings revealed T2 planned to spend $89million on marketing during the 12-month period ending March 31 2024.

In the aftermath of this article being published, Take-Two told GamesIndustryBiz that the marketing figure mentioned refers to commitments made to third-party companies.

As Rockstar is an internal T2 studio it would dispel the suggestion the $89million marketing figure VB cited is related to GTA 6.

source: express.co.uk