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Rockstar Games says Grand Theft Auto 6 development is 'well underway'

The popular crime adventure game is already one of the most popular entertainment products out there. GTA 6 is likely to be huge.

Ian Sherr Contributor and Former Editor at Large / News
Ian Sherr (he/him/his) grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, so he's always had a connection to the tech world. As an editor at large at CNET, he wrote about Apple, Microsoft, VR, video games and internet troubles. Aside from writing, he tinkers with tech at home, is a longtime fencer -- the kind with swords -- and began woodworking during the pandemic.
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Ian Sherr
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Grand Theft Auto V, in which players have the freedom to explore and commit crimes in a virtual rendering of Los Angeles, is still a top seller nearly a decade after its release.

 Take-Two Interactive

Rockstar Games said Friday that development is "well underway" for its next major installment in the Grand Theft Auto franchise, which would presumably be called Grand Theft Auto 6. While the company said its goal is "always to significantly move beyond what we have previously delivered," it didn't say when the game will be released.

"We look forward to sharing more as soon as we are ready," Rockstar said in its announcement.

The move will mark the next installment in one of the best-selling game franchises of all time. The action-adventure game series dates back 25 years and is widely credited as being among the most influential works in the industry. Titles likes 2001's Grand Theft Auto III popularized the setting of a three-dimensional game world, where players can explore and do pretty much anything they want. GTA V, meanwhile, was so widely anticipated that it broke industry sales records, becoming the first entertainment product to hit $1 billion in sales within its first three days on the market. 

Despite being nearly a decade old, GTA V is still one of the top-selling games each year. It's racked up more than 155 million copies sold, with more than $6 billion in worldwide revenue.

It's no surprise that GTA 6 is under development, but considering GTA V's longstanding popularity, it'll be a tough act to follow. While Rockstar and its parent company, Take-Two Interactive, have declined to share release date plans, some industry analysts believe the title will land as early as next year.

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