GTA 6 engine is reportedly "ahead of its time"

The three playable characters having an exchange in GTA 5
(Image credit: Rockstar Games)

The game engine being used to create GTA 6 is “ahead of its time,” according to one well-known insider, so fans shouldn’t be disappointed. 

Journalist and Rockstar insider Chris Klippel has shared to Twitter that: "The new version of the Rockstar Games graphics engine (RAGE9) that will be used for GTA 6 is going to be pretty amazing." They then go on to say that fans shouldn’t be disappointed with the end result as "we are talking about an engine ahead of its time."

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If you weren’t aware, the Rockstar Games graphics engine has been used to develop a number of games at the studio including Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA 5, Max Payne 3, and more going as far back as Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis back in 2006. We don’t know much else about the new version of the RAGE engine at the moment but if what Klippel says is accurate, we could be looking at the best looking GTA game to date. 

After it was quietly announced back in February of this year, we haven’t actually heard very much about GTA 6, whether that be its setting, release date, or main characters. All we know so far is that development on GTA 6 is “well underway” and that it probably won’t release until before the end of 2024 - as Klippel revealed previously. 

That doesn’t mean that there haven’t been a number of rumours surrounding the mysterious project though, as a number of leaks have shared things such as that GTA 6 will reportedly stick with a modern setting, that the game is apparently Rockstar’s "most chaotic" project yet, and that it could feature "large-scale destruction." What exactly that means, however, is still unclear. 

In other Rockstar news, the GTA studio recently revealed it is working with Control and Alan Wake studio Remedy to develop Max Payne 1 and 2 remakes. These games won’t be developed using RAGE9 though as instead they will be developed with Remedy’s proprietary Northlight engine for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X

Need something to play whilst you wait for GTA6? Take a look at our list of best Rockstar games for inspiration. 

Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.