While Rockstar Games only recently announced Grand Theft Auto 5 took players to the sunny beaches and shady alleys of San Andreas, casting them as a trio of criminals named Michael, Franklin, and Trevor. GTA 5 was a massive hit, maintaining its relevance and popularity even after the similarly successful 2018 launch of Red Dead Redemption 2. However, rumors suggest that Grand Theft Auto 6 will sur both of these beloved games in both size and scope, and there are a few rumors that are particularly convincing - and enticing. But exactly what form could the game take, and when might it finally find its way to the public?
Back in February, Rockstar Games confirmed GTA 6 development is underway, though the studio revealed very few details about the highly-anticipated project. No release window was provided, and it was not specified whether the game will be cross-generation or developed exclusively for new-gen consoles. However, Rockstar did tease that Grand Theft Auto 6 will be a step up from previous games, indicating that the franchise's next installment will possibly attempt to dwarf both Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5.
Rumors about Grand Theft Auto 6 have been floating around since the launch of GTA 5, and the official announcement of GTA 6 has only added fuel to the fire. Industry insiders like Tom Henderson and Jason Schreier have all given their two cents about the project, but until an official reveal from Rockstar, this information is merely hearsay. However, while waiting for an official trailer to finally drop, fans can at least sit and ponder some of the most convincing GTA 6 rumors that have come so far.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Rumors: Vice City & Beyond
The Grand Theft Auto franchise prides itself on its memorable settings, so the GTA 6 map location is naturally the most hotly-debated part of the game. While the title was apparently set to introduce a new setting early in development, it now seems likely that players will return to a previously-established city for the series' next outing. Grand Theft Auto 4 was a return to Liberty City and GTA 5 took gamers back to San Andreas, so many insiders logically assume that GTA 6 will recreate the Miami-inspired vacation destination Vice City.
While Vice City is Grand Theft Auto 6's most heavily-rumored setting, various sources indicate that the game will put a unique twist on the classic GTA location. A popular rumor is "Project Americas," which would see GTA 6 focus on the drug trade and let players explore both Vice City and a South American map. Flying back and forth between two continents could add both scale and variety to Rockstar Games' next title. A rumor from 2019 claims that Project Americas will also feature Liberty City, expanding the concept to feature three major urban areas with small towns in-between.
Rumors about GTA 6 returning to Vice City are common, but some insiders go a step further to claim that the open-world adventure will be a period piece. 2002's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was set in 1986 and portrayed authentic aspects of Miami's criminal underworld while paying homage to films like Scarface and Miami Vice. Therefore, some insiders believe that Grand Theft Auto 6 will also take players back to the 1980s for a retro Floridian adventure. Some rumors also suggest that GTA 6 will be split between two time periods, a 1980s setting and a modern setting, similar to how GTA 5 was split between three separate protagonists.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Rumors: A Female Protagonist
Along with its crime-ridden settings, the Grand Theft Auto series is known for its colorful cast of playable characters. GTA 4 cast players as Eastern European war veteran Niko Bellic, with its expansion packs starring biker Johnny Klebitz and bodyguard Luis Fernando Lopez. GTA 5, meanwhile, let players swap between retired bank robber Michael De Santa, gangster Franklin Clinton and the violently unhinged Trevor Philips. To live up to Grand Theft Auto 5's multiple protagonists, GTA 6 will need to feature a truly original player character.
Marking a first for the GTA series, rumors suggest that its sixth major entry will feature a female protagonist. While the name or role of this character remains unknown, it is possible that GTA Online's character creation system paved the way for a female protagonist in the franchise's next story. Leaker Tom Henderson indicates that the game will have both a male and female protagonist, suggesting that either players can customize their protagonist's gender or that GTA 6 will feature multiple protagonists for players to once again switch between at their leisure.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Rumors: 2025 Release Date
While a Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer release date is yet to arrive, fans are already speculating about the launch window of the game itself. Back in 2020 Bloomberg's Jason Schreier stated that GTA 6 was in early development, though it now seems that this claim was premature. With Rockstar just recently announcing active development of the game, without revealing any other information, it seems that players will be waiting a few years before they return to the mean streets of GTA. How long that wait will be remains an open question, and there aren't a lot of sources that entirely agree on a potential release timeline.
Insider Tom Henderson claims that GTA 6 will not release until 2025, placing its launch more than a decade after GTA 5 and about seven years after RDR2. While this may seem like a lengthy development cycle, this claim is ed by Rockstar's announcement that the title will push the envelope in of scope and innovation. If Grand Theft Auto 6 features multiple cities, and possibly multiple time periods, a massive development timeline is to be expected.
Gamers are desperate to get their hands on Grand Theft Auto 6, and exciting rumors make it even harder to wait for Rockstar Games' next open-world epic. Exploring 1980s Vice City as a female protagonist and flying to South America on a whim seems like an unrealistic dream, but Rockstar is known for innovating with each new title. However, some rumors suggests that players will be waiting until 2025 to finally experience this street crime simulation.
Source: Jason Schreier/Twitter,
