Has it really been eight long years since Rockstar Games shipped Red Dead Redemption II, and more than 13 years since Grand Theft Auto V arrived on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3? Why yes, yes it has. A gamer could reasonably wonder if these long wait times are now the norm for Rockstar's popular gaming franchises, but as we collectively look ahead to Grand Theft Auto VI's release next month, there is reason to already look ahead to Grand Theft Auto VII, and it comes directly from Rockstar.

In an extensive profile on the making of GTA VI published by Bloomberg, the studio's key decision-makers opened up about the grueling eight-year production cycle behind one of the most anticipated video games of all time. Over that span, Rockstar evolved from a 2,441-person studio into an even bigger operation with over 4,700 employees spanning 12 offices. More critically to the development of GTA VI and beyond, the expanded team spent years rebuilding Rockstar's proprietary engine and creative toolsets.

The reason this matters is that the studio now feels as though it is in a better position to push out blockbuster titles at a quicker pace, rather than having gamers wait 8-13 years in between mainline releases.

Vice City in Grand Theft Auto VI - Image: Rockstar Games

"The engine, the tools, and the team we’ve built during this project will allow us to do things more quickly," Rockstar North Director of Technology Phil Hooker said. "I feel confident that we can build on top of this and go more sideways than upwards to build more compelling content."

Studio art director and co-head of development Aaron Garbut echoed that sentiment, saying Rockstar made quite a bit of foundational changes to GTA VI, adding, "But now it's done, and we're not going to rip it apart." And according to the profile, Rockstar's brass has vowed that the next GTA release will not take another eight years.

That's great news for fans of the franchise, even if it feels way too early to be talking about GTA VII. To be clear, Rockstar Games is not discussing the next installment, as the focus is on GTA VI's release next month, and presumably a PC port at some point. To that end, gamers could be looking at a shorter wait time than usual there as well—rumor has it a PC release will happen within the first three months of 2027.

Is it all too good to be true? Only time will tell. Despite two major delays, which saw GTA VI slip from an initial 2025 target to May 2026 and finally to its November 19 launch date, Rockstar's leaders maintain that the technological dividends will pay off for whatever comes after.