Entertainment · Gaming · 1 hr ago
Rockstar Says GTA 6’s Early Scope Helped Delay Development
Rockstar confirmed GTA 6 began as a much larger project than the game it is now.
Known as Project Americas, the early plan involved multiple protagonists and locations across North and South America.
The project’s scope was unrealistic, so Rockstar had to scale it back and push the game back by several years.
The studio also had to decide how far to take everyday realism, such as whether players should handle each step of getting a beer.
Those design choices affected both the game’s scope and its fun, according to co-studio head Rob Nelson.
Building the game’s complex artificial intelligence systems took years of additional work.
Working from home during the pandemic also made progress difficult, Rockstar said.
Rockstar says GTA 6 began with an ambitious plan to span large areas of North and South America.
The studio later narrowed the game’s setting to Miami and surrounding areas, and says the early scope contributed to a delay of several years.
Rockstar also planned to develop GTA 6 alongside Red Dead Redemption II, but assigned more staff to finish the Western game.
GTA 6 is now scheduled to launch on November 19, 2026, for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
- Who
- Rockstar Games, the developer of GTA 6.
- What
- The studio says the game’s original scope was much larger, contributing to a delay of several years.
- When
- Planning began in 2015. The game is scheduled to launch on November 19, 2026.
- Where
- The original plan covered areas across North and South America; the game’s scope was later narrowed to Miami and surrounding areas.
- Why
- Rockstar scaled back the original ambition, and staff were reassigned to complete Red Dead Redemption II.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A small Rockstar team traveled to Miami to begin planning GTA 6 under the codename Project Americas.
Red Dead Redemption II was released after Rockstar assigned more staff to help complete it.
GTA 6 was originally set to launch.
GTA 6’s launch was delayed to May 2026.
GTA 6 is scheduled to launch for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
- Original codename
- Project Americas
- Initial scope
- Large areas across North and South America
- Revised setting
- Miami and surrounding areas
- Map size
- 3X the map in Red Dead Redemption II
- Scheduled launch
- November 19, 2026
- Platforms
- PS5 and Xbox Series X|S
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