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Rockstar Games is headquartered in New York City and has been part of Take-Two since 1998. Rockstar North in Edinburgh, the studio that began as DMA Design and made the first Grand Theft Auto, leads GTA 6: its co-heads play and present the game, and it hosted the July 2026 press previews. reported
Rockstar has not published a list of the studios working on GTA 6. For Red Dead Redemption 2 it merged all of its studios into one large team, presented simply as Rockstar Games (development history), and a similar arrangement is likely here. That is precedent, not an announcement.
| Studio | Location | Known GTA 6 role |
|---|---|---|
| Rockstar North | Edinburgh, Scotland | Lead studio reported |
| Rockstar Los Angeles | Santa Monica, California | A branch that works almost entirely on pedestrians, per Dazed reported |
| Rockstar San Diego | Carlsbad, California | Home of the RAGE Technology Group that builds Rockstar's engine; GTA 6 role not published |
| Rockstar Toronto | Oakville, Ontario | Not published |
| Rockstar New England | Andover, Massachusetts | Not published |
| Rockstar Leeds | Leeds, England | Not published |
| Rockstar Lincoln | Lincoln, England | Not published |
| Rockstar London | London, England | Not published |
| Rockstar India | Bengaluru, India | Not published |
| Rockstar Dundee | Dundee, Scotland | Not published |
| Rockstar Australia | Sydney, Australia | Not published |
| Cfx.re | Remote | The FiveM and RedM team Rockstar bought in 2023; runs the Creator Platform that its mod guidelines point multiplayer mods to |
Take-Two Interactive owns Rockstar Games and publishes GTA 6. official There is no separate GTA 6 stock. The company trades on the Nasdaq as Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., ticker TTWO, as its press releases state, so "GTA 6 stock" in practice means Take-Two shares. official Take-Two also publishes through 2K and Zynga, so those shares cover the whole company, not GTA 6 alone.
Take-Two reports results every quarter and has repeated the November 19 date in each report this year, most recently on August 7, 2026. official What it has said about pre-orders, and the analyst forecasts for launch, are on GTA 6 sales and pre-orders. None of this is investment advice.
| When | What happened | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Development starts "in earnest" after Red Dead Redemption 2, Take-Two later says | reported |
| July 27, 2022 | Bloomberg reports a Latina lead in a Bonnie and Clyde style duo, a modern Vice City, the code name Project Americas and a cleaned-up studio culture | reported |
| Sept 18, 2022 | A hacker leaks early development footage; the next day Rockstar says it expects no long-term effect on development (leaks page) | official |
| Nov 8, 2023 | Sam Houser announces the first trailer for December, tied to Rockstar's 25th anniversary | official |
| Dec 4, 2023 | Trailer 1 sets a 2025 window | official |
| May 2 and Nov 6, 2025 | Two delays, to May 26 and then November 19, 2026 | official |
| Oct 30, 2025 | Rockstar dismisses 31 UK staff, per the IWGB, and others in Canada; the union calls it union busting | reported |
| July 2026 | Hands-off press previews at Rockstar North, with Rob Nelson playing | reported |
| Aug 27, 2026 | An Extended Look premieres on Netflix, then YouTube | official |
| Sept 6, 2026 | Dazed publishes its deep dive with interviews of Rockstar staff | reported |
| Nov 19, 2026 | Launch on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S | official |
Rockstar has not named GTA 6's engine or published a technical breakdown. It is expected to run on RAGE, the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine, which Rockstar San Diego's RAGE Technology Group has developed since 2006 and which powered GTA IV, GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2. Digital Foundry's December 2023 breakdown of Trailer 1 described it as the latest iteration of that engine. reported
What the engine does on console comes from analysis, not specs. Digital Foundry's analysis of the Extended Look found a native 1440p image upscaled to 4K at a mostly stable 30 frames per second on a base PS5 (Pure Xbox, August 28, 2026). reported Rockstar has announced no performance mode. The details are in our 30 fps report and on the PS5 page.
Rockstar has never given a head count for GTA 6. Dazed, which interviewed staff for a feature in its autumn 2026 issue (online September 6), reported that Rockstar's team "has more than doubled in size" since Red Dead Redemption 2 came out in 2018. reported The same feature describes a Los Angeles branch devoted almost entirely to the game's pedestrians, and more than 50 real street artists hired to design murals for Vice City.
Aaron Garbut told The New York Times the game has more than 600,000 NPC animations (reported); his entry below has the figures and sources.
Not disclosed. not announced Take-Two does not report development costs per game, and Rockstar has never named a figure. Figures in press coverage run from about $1 billion to $2 billion, and none comes from a company source. When the BBC covered the game's prospects in December 2023, it described $2 billion as speculation covering development and marketing combined. For scale, GTA V's budget was reported at about $265 million. Any page that states a GTA 6 budget as fact is guessing.
Performers are a separate question: Rockstar has named no cast. See GTA 6 voice actors and cast.
David Kushner's book Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto (2012) tells the story of the Housers and their studio, from DMA Design in Dundee to GTA IV. It predates GTA V and GTA 6, and it is a journalist's account, not an official Rockstar book.
To play a piece of that history, Red Dead Redemption, the 2010 western Rockstar San Diego built on RAGE, is now sold for PS5 with its Undead Nightmare expansion. Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018), after which Take-Two says GTA 6 development began in earnest, is its prequel.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, GTA6.how earns from qualifying purchases.Rather listen? The unabridged Jacked audiobook runs 9 hours 28 minutes, read by Adam Verner, and Audible's Standard plan includes one audiobook a month (Amazon, checked September 28). Try AudiblePaid link: Amazon pays GTA6.how a fee if you sign up. As an Amazon Associate, GTA6.how earns from qualifying purchases.
On October 30, 2025 Rockstar dismissed 31 staff in the UK, according to the IWGB, and others in Canada. Rockstar said they had shared confidential information in a public forum; the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) said they were organizing and called it union busting. reported The union's case is being heard at the Glasgow Tribunal Centre in a final hearing that began on September 10, 2026 and runs until at least October 15, and its 31 claimants are Rockstar North staff, per the IWGB. reported A Rockstar filing in the case mentions an "online 32 player format" for an unnamed project; what that means for GTA 6 Online is covered in our court filing report.
Each entry has a status badge and its own sources. Link to any entry with its id, for example /development/#rockstar-north.
The developer, its lead studio and the publisher.
The developer and publishing label behind GTA 6, a Take-Two subsidiary. It controls every official reveal, from bios and trailers to Newswire posts.
Rockstar's Edinburgh studio, which leads GTA 6 development and hosted the July 2026 press preview. It is co-run by Rob Nelson and Aaron Garbut.
Rockstar's parent company and publisher. Its SEC filings and earnings calls are the official record for GTA 6's date, delays and business outlook.
The two people whose public statements carry official weight.
Co-founder and president of Rockstar Games. He announced GTA 6's first trailer on November 8, 2023, tying it to Rockstar's 25th anniversary.
Chairman and CEO of Take-Two Interactive, whose earnings calls and annual meeting are the official record on GTA 6's date and launch shape.
Named in interviews, mostly from the August and September 2026 press round. Rockstar has published no credits yet.
Co-studio head at Rockstar North and Rockstar's main public voice for GTA 6 in 2026. He played the game live for press at the July 2026 previews and gave the interviews behind many reported details.
Co-head of Rockstar North, who told The New York Times about the scale of GTA 6's world and its NPC work.
Rockstar's senior vice president of narrative, who told Dazed that GTA 6 is staged as "a Bonnie and Clyde-type narrative".
Rockstar's senior art director for characters, quoted in Dazed on firsthand Miami research for character looks.
Rockstar's vice president of 2D and UI design, quoted in Dazed on how in-game brands reflect what Leonida's residents aspire to.
A Rockstar game writer quoted in Dazed on researching Miami culture closely to avoid cynical stereotypes.
A Miami-based stylist who has worked with Rockstar since 2023, quoted in Dazed on Vice City's fast, social-media-driven fashion.
Rockstar co-founder and longtime lead writer on earlier GTA and Red Dead games, who left the company in 2020. GTA 6's narrative is led by others, including Rupert Humphries.
Companies and artists with an official GTA 6 tie-in.
GTA 6's marketing partner on PlayStation ("Plays Best on PlayStation 5") and the maker of the Limited Edition DualSense controllers out November 19, 2026.
Premiered An Extended Look on August 27, 2026, where it drew 31.1 million views in its first four days.
Releases Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, 34 original tracks out November 19, 2026.
A real-world artist collective that designed more than 50 signature tattoos for the Ultimate Edition's Electric Fang Tattoo parlor.
People and outlets whose claims we cite. None speaks for Rockstar, and the badge shows how far to trust each.
Bloomberg games reporter whose July 2022 report first described a Latina lead in a Bonnie and Clyde style duo set in a modern Vice City. He has continued to report on the game, including the August 2026 leaks.
The technical analysis outlet whose breakdown of An Extended Look found native 1440p at a stable 30 fps with ray-traced lighting and reflections, and called 60 fps on consoles extremely unlikely.
Twitch's CEO, who told Bloomberg in September 2026 that GTA 6 multiplayer would arrive next year. He does not speak for Rockstar.
A games industry insider who said Rockstar had tested GTA 6 on Nintendo Switch 2, adding that tests do not always mean a release.
A YouTuber who said a source identified Dylan Rourke as Jason's performer, the origin of the most repeated Jason casting rumor.
Described from press coverage only. We do not host or link leaked material.
The union backing 31 Rockstar North staff dismissed in 2025 at an employment tribunal at the Glasgow Tribunal Centre, where a Rockstar filing mentioned an "online 32 player format".
A group that began posting clips from a GTA 6 development build on August 18, 2026, prompting DMCA takedowns and Rockstar's "nearly there" statement. How old the build is has not been established.
The hacking group whose member breached Rockstar in September 2022 and released early GTA 6 development footage.
The Lapsus$ member found responsible for the 2022 Rockstar breach, who received an indefinite hospital order from a UK court in December 2023.
What to do next: the people above made the game; the GTA 6 characters are who you will play. For the date the work lands, see the GTA 6 release date and how to pre-load on November 12.
David Kushner's Jacked tells the story of Rockstar and the series, on paper or as an audiobook. GTA VI takes the series back to Vice City on November 19.
PS5GTA VI · PS5Standard Edition: a download code in the box, no disc, for US and Canadian PlayStation accounts. Amazon delivers from November 12, with release-day delivery for Prime members; it unlocks November 19.Pre-order on AmazonXbox Series X|SGTA VI · XboxStandard Edition: a download code in the box, no disc. Amazon delivers from November 12, with release-day delivery for Prime members; it unlocks November 19.Pre-order on AmazonAmazon's Pre-order Price Guarantee: "the price we charge when we ship it to you will be the lowest price offered by Amazon.com between the time you placed your order and the end of the day of the release date." Amazon's help page adds that it "does not apply to lower prices offered through any program that requires a customer to join the program to receive the lower price." Amazon's release date for the GTA VI boxes is November 12.
Paid links. As an Amazon Associate, GTA6.how earns from qualifying purchases. Prices, delivery dates and availability are set by Amazon and can change. How we choose products.
Rockstar Games, the New York-based label owned by Take-Two Interactive. Rockstar North in Edinburgh, co-run by Rob Nelson and Aaron Garbut, leads development and hosted the 2026 press previews. Rockstar has not published which of its other studios work on the game. Red Dead Redemption 2 was made by all of Rockstar's studios working as one team, and a similar setup is likely, but that is precedent, not an announcement.
Rockstar has not said, but it is expected to use RAGE, the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine that GTA IV, GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 ran on. Digital Foundry's December 2023 breakdown of Trailer 1 described it as the latest iteration of RAGE. Status: reported.
Unknown. Rockstar and Take-Two have never disclosed a budget. Figures in press coverage run from about $1 billion to $2 billion, and the BBC described the $2 billion figure as speculation covering development and marketing combined. Treat every number as an estimate.
Take-Two Interactive, which owns Rockstar Games and publishes the game. There is no separate GTA 6 stock. Take-Two trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker TTWO, and its shares cover all of its business, including 2K and Zynga, not GTA 6 alone.
Not since 2020. The Rockstar co-founder, who led the writing on earlier GTA and Red Dead games, left the company in March 2020, around when full development began, and later founded Absurd Ventures. Rupert Humphries, Rockstar's senior vice president of narrative, is the writing lead who has spoken about GTA 6.
Take-Two said in May 2025 that development began in earnest in 2020, after Red Dead Redemption 2, as reported by IGN. Bloomberg reported in July 2022 that the project was code-named Project Americas.
