Game development has changed substantially since the '90s. Hit games were often assembled by small teams in a couple of years – sometimes months – and you'd often see new entries in major franchises every single year. For a 12-year span from 1997 through 2009, that's exactly how the Grand Theft Auto series was, which throws the 13-year wait for GTA 6 into sharp relief.
These days, Rockstar encompasses many studios around the world, but lead development on the GTA series is handled by Rockstar North. The Edinburgh, Scotland studio was once known as DMA Design, and it was under that name that it released the first three Grand Theft Auto games. The first entry launched in 1997, and the sequel followed in 1999.
Those early top-down entries were moderate successes, but GTA as we know it wouldn't arrive until Grand Theft Auto 3. Its massive, 3D open world was a revelation in 2001, and the game became an industry-defining hit. Other publishers started chasing its open-world design and M-rated appeal in the years that followed.
DMA itself became Rockstar North, and the follow-ups were nonstop. Vice City in 2002. San Andreas in 2004. British studio Mobius Entertainment came under the banner, transforming into Rockstar Leeds and creating the PSP spin-offs, Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories, in 2005 and 2006. Rockstar North released GTA 4 in 2008, and a pair of expansions that were eventually put together as the standalone Episodes from Liberty City in 2009.
That's a total of 10 games released in a 12-year span. The gap between GTA releases would soon expand dramatically. It would be four years before GTA 5 finally hit. And, incredibly, it's been a whopping 13 years between the releases of GTA 5 and GTA 6. Rockstar has, admittedly, filled the gap with the incredible Red Dead Redemption 2 – but it was also developing non-GTA titles at a far more prolific rate in the series' heyday.
The issue of protracted development cycles leading to interminable waits between series entries is hardly unique to Rockstar, and other developers are often paying the price. Final Fantasy's Naoki Yoshida reckons that the long wait between games is making it harder for younger players to connect with the series.
Of course, it doesn't seem like the GTA 6 hype has died down at all because of the 13-year wait – if anything, the gap has helped the anticipation get even bigger. But the prolific release schedule through the '00s helped make the series an institution in the first place, and it's a reminder of just how much the game industry has changed in the past few decades.
Check out our guide to the best controllers for GTA 6 if you're looking to upgrade.
1. Best for PS5: DualSense
2. Best for Xbox: GameSir G7 Pro
3. Best pro PS5: DualSense Edge
4. Best pro Xbox: Nacon Revolution X Unlimited
See all the best controllers for GTA 6
