Development Timeline Reveal: GTA 6 Was Once Slated to Run Parallel With Red Dead Redemption 2
Written by the GTA6 Resources team
A years-long wait suddenly looks even longer in hindsight -- Rockstar says its next open-world epic was first meant to take shape alongside a game that came out in 2018.
Rockstar Games has disclosed that GTA 6 was originally planned to be developed concurrently with Red Dead Redemption 2, according to IGN. That would have put the game on a far earlier track than the one fans actually experienced, since RDR2 itself launched back in 2018.
The revelation doesn't come with a full explanation in the excerpt of exactly why that parallel development plan didn't pan out, but the implication is clear: whatever early version of GTA 6 Rockstar had in mind years ago bears little resemblance to the extended, heavily delayed road the game has actually traveled since.
For fans who have followed the GTA 6 saga through its many twists -- from the 2022 leak that forced Rockstar's hand on an early reveal, to the trailers, the Game Informer cover story, the ESRB rating, and now a release window that's been the subject of constant speculation -- this timeline detail reframes just how long the project has actually been in motion behind the scenes. A game once theoretically positioned to follow close on RDR2's heels instead arrives roughly a decade later, suggesting a scope and ambition that grew substantially over that stretch.
It's worth noting this is Rockstar's own account, not a leak or rumor, which gives it more weight than much of the speculative material that circulates around the game. But the excerpt doesn't detail what exactly caused the shift away from parallel development with RDR2 -- whether it was resourcing, technical hurdles with the new engine, or a creative reset -- so fans should treat the "why" as still unconfirmed.
Taken alongside other recent disclosures about scrapped content and early builds, this fits a broader pattern: GTA 6 in its current form is the product of a much longer and more winding development history than Rockstar's marketing timeline alone would suggest. For players anxiously tracking the countdown to launch, it's a reminder that the version finally arriving has been reshaped many times over.
