Before the release of each GTA game, the gaming community was awash in a sea of rumors, only a portion of which eventually turned out to be true. The development story of GTA 6 is no exception, but we've witnessed the bubble of unverified information grow to unprecedented levels. We decided to recall the past years' rumors about the next GTA, identifying what was confirmed, what wasn't, and the most outlandish speculations.

Unconfirmed Rumors about GTA 6

It is worth noting that the peak of false information was between 2017 and 2019 when Rockstar, as we now know, was only fleshing out the project for the future game, and various ideas from the drawing board leaked to the internet as indisputable facts.

After transitioning to the 3D era, Rockstar has adhered to a contemporary setting for its projects. However, early rumors about GTA 6 claimed the opposite — suggesting a significant part of the game, or even the entire game, would be set in the 1970s and 1980s. The southern states of the USA were indeed a hub for drug cartels at that time.

Players' imaginations fuel gruesome stories about drug mafia gangs warring in North and South America, with the US and USSR intervening through the CIA and KGB. It is now evident that no one will roll back the game world 50 years, and GTA 6 does not claim the laurels of a spy thriller.

The narrative approach in GTA 6 will likely be classic for the series. Several rumors claimed that Rockstar would change it – introducing more intimate linear missions in different parts of the world and dividing the story into episodes that will continue to release after the main game's launch. The number of characters varied from one to three or more, like in RDR 2. The fact that some online analysts guessed about two protagonists is merely a coincidence. However, the devs confirmed that the main characters are not siblings.

The plot is probably the most guarded part of GTA 6, and we've heard all sorts of beginnings to it! Almost all insiders claimed that the story of the future GTA would be about smuggling and the drug mafia, and later — the series usual petty theft and car theft. How about the version where one of the protagonists becomes a member of a drug cartel, while the other is on the right side, in a DEA-like agency? Or do both characters climb the criminal ladder together, covering each other's backs?

The location of the next GTA has also changed repeatedly. Rumors claimed that the hero of GTA 6 would start his career in Liberty City and only later join a well-known gang in Vice City to become close to the drug mafia or drug baron. Or, on the contrary, he will take his first steps in the equivalent of Bogota or Medellin and appear in the United States later. Other insiders dreamed of cities in South America and the USA, where the hero would travel, peeking here and there from time to time.

Insiders still can't let go of the idea that the writers of GTA 6 have written a story based on real events, as in American Made and series like Narcos. The possibility that the story might avoid the topic of illicit substances is, for some reason, not considered by them.

Another failed rumor about GTA 6 concerns the main voice actors. Several years ago, rumors claimed that they would be Ryan Gosling and (or) Eva Mendes. Now we know that this is not the case.

What definitely did not come true are all fans' attempts to recreate the map of GTA 6. Even the leaked build did not help to understand the game's real size and location. We are waiting for official information!

Validated Rumors about GTA 6

By 2020, it seems, the concept of GTA 6 had already taken shape that's why leaks through various channels not only aligned with each other but also proved true with the release of the first trailer.

Talks about Vice City as the location for GTA 6 began quite quickly — the first rumors about some Return to Vice City for GTA 5 appeared as early as 2014. At that time, they had not approved the location of the next game. But they decided in 2016. And after another 2-3 years, rumors began to circulate that, in addition to Vice City, the game world of GTA 6 would be much larger. Rockstar will expand the action throughout Florida and possibly even include a Cuban analog in the game world. Now we know the action will unfold throughout the state of Leonida, where Rockstar has created three large cities, although some South American locations might also appear.

During the same period, more and more information confirmed only two main characters — a man and a woman in a relationship, not brother and sister. No drug cartels – at least for now – were shown in the first trailer. Robberies are the focus.

As of early 2024, they haven't shown the gameplay yet. Judging by the trailer, Rockstar has modernized it for greater realism, as rumors suggested, while keeping the core gameplay arcade-like. The gunplay will resemble that of RDR 2. The character will be able to carry a limited amount of weapons, which will visibly show on them instead of disappearing into a bottomless inventory. So, it is not advisable to flash guns unnecessarily. It seems that players will store all useful items, weapons, and armor in their car's trunk. As leaks suggest, characters will be able to enter pawn shops, supermarkets, apartments, and other potential places for robbery. In addition, there will be the ability to loot transport.

Most rumors regarding enhancements in the visual and other technical aspects of the project have proven true:

Water as a full-fledged environment of the game world;
Reworked artificial intelligence;
Increased world detail with various biomes;
Enhanced animation system;
Weather system and its impact on the world;
Hair on the characters' heads and faces grows over time;
Large crowds of NPCs with their own customization.

The trailer clearly indicates the presence of a proprietary social network within GTA 6. In 2020, the company was looking for an employee to develop the social media aspect for one of its games, and it seems they found one.

The rumors that GTA 6 will become the most expensive game in history have proven true. The development cost at least 500 million dollars, with an additional 100 million spent on marketing. GTA 5 had half the budget — 250 million including advertising expenses. Rockstar also wants to earn a lot on GTA 6 — 1 billion dollars in the first 24 hours and 8 billion after the release.

Rumors also suggest that characters will speak in their native languages, significantly enhancing the atmosphere. Given how much the studio has reworked the number of NPCs on screen and their appearance, they could not forget about voice acting. Thus, Vice City will audibly become a blend of various cultures and languages, accompanied by many subtitles.

TOP-3 GTA 6 outlandish speculations

Project Americas. This rumor really blew many minds at the time. It suggested that the world of GTA 6 would include the entire territory of the United States! It appeared in 2015 after the release of the racing arcade The Crew 2, which indeed featured a simplified digital model of the U.S. Interestingly, during that period, Rockstar was indeed contemplating a gigantic open world, including the West and East coasts, three major cities — Liberty City, Los Santos, and Vice City — and some central area between them! However, they quickly abandoned this concept, realizing the overwhelmingness of such tasks with the existing tools, and the studio could not provide high density and intensity of events.

GTA Online's influence on GTA 6. Another rumor, which turned out to be true, was about the success of the online part of GTA 5 and its impact on the next series installment. In the second half of the 2010s, there were persistent speculations that the unprecedented success of GTA Online turned GTA 5 into a gold mine for Take-Two, which the publisher did not want to lose. Instead of developing and expanding the stories of Trevor or Michael, bringing back Niko or Tony – in short, making single-player content as initially planned – Rockstar releases service updates for GTA Online players.

The publisher long disguised itself, assuring everyone that it gave the studio complete freedom and ample time for the next GTA. However, as the GTA 6 announcement approached, the masks fell off. Take-Two began to focus on the multiplayer component in its reports, while Rockstar stated that it plans to concentrate on the close connection between the single-player campaign and the multiplayer mode in the Grand Theft Auto series.

But, after all, the most hyped and outrageous rumor was about the very existence of GTA 6 and its release date. Oh, what we haven't heard in these ten years! It was clear to everyone that the studio would not stop at GTA 5, but it kept silent for so long that even the existence of GTA 6 was in doubt.

According to rumors we collected, the game twice fell into production hell, struggled through the pandemic and remote development, and there is no need to talk about the famous leak in 2022. Then gossip almost buried the game in their minds. Year after year, different insiders bombarded us with another «reliable» release date — 2018, 2020, 2021, 2024 and after.

However, there was a moment when Rockstar could have presented the game on paper at least. That was 2021. Since late 2020, fans repeatedly found references to GTA 6 and the year 2021 in various GTA Online spots and Rockstar news. Insiders have also given the community a lot of rumors ahead of some event in 2021. The 2022 leak brings us enough employees' notes about 2021. Perhaps, if not for the quarantine, the scandal with corporate culture, and top management layoffs, GTA 6 development could have progressed more intensively, shortening our wait by two years. But what happened, happened – and GTA 6 will only reach store shelves in 2025.

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