Rockstar started developing GTA 6 in the late 2010s, with full production ramping up around 2020.

Quick Scoop

  • Early groundwork : Pre-production and concept work for GTA 6 appear to have started sometime after the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018, with small teams outlining ideas, story, and setting.
  • Full development “in earnest” : Take-Two’s CEO has said that GTA 6 began development “in earnest” in 2020, meaning that is when large-scale, full production really kicked off.
  • Former dev timeline : A former Rockstar artist has stated they worked on GTA 6 from 2018 to 2023, which supports the idea that active development began right after Red Dead Redemption 2 wrapped.

So, if you’re wondering “when did they start making GTA 6” , the best simple answer is:

  • Early planning and pre-production: around 2018.
  • Full-on main development: around 2020.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.