The expectations for Grand Theft Auto VI are set astoundingly high, and even former Rockstar employees are excited to see what the “king” of open-world games does next.
After smashing records and raising the bar of open-worlds with Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar is retreating to Vice City for what’s shaping up to be another easy win for the studio.
Former Rockstar Games animator Mike York, who worked on GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2, recently spoke with Covers.com about the scope and scale of the development team’s operation, and how rival studios have tried and failed to match its quality. GTA 6 is going to move the goal post once again.
Why Rockstar Is “The King”
York’s work on GTA V involved the iconic “character switches” you’d see when swapping to Franklin, Michael or Trevor. He claimed that you could “play the game one or two or three times and not see them all.”
“Here’s the thing,” he continued, “Rockstar makes the best open-world games, no matter what open-world it is. They’ve perfected and really honed in on the game development process of making an open world game, and a lot of companies had to play catch-up.”
An example provided by York was Ubisoft’s first entry in the Watch Dogs series. The game’s first gameplay demo was a stunning technical showcase. Unfortunately, this was not what players got in the full game.
York said developers chasing the success of Rockstar’s open-worlds quickly “realised how difficult a game like this really is,” adding they realized: “‘holy crap, we can’t do this. We can’t make the whole world look like this; we can only make a demo look like this.’ I guarantee you, they realised, ‘Rockstar is the king.'”
This belief will have been certified with the release of Red Dead Redemption 2, and York understands why many would consider it the current “golden standard” when it comes to open-world games. “[Rockstar Games] literally are the top of the top of the top, and no one’s done it as they can do it.”
Will GTA 6 Be Delayed Again?
Despite the praise, York has also weighed in on the possibility of another delay. When asked about his confidence in the November 19 release date, he said he “would not be shocked at all” if the studio pushed the launch back once again.
“I don’t currently work there, so I can’t give a confidence based off that, but based on my previous experience, they could delay it again,” York said. “Straight up, they could delay it again. They can do whatever they want, and people will wait right now; it doesn’t matter. If they need to do what they need to do, they’ll do it.”
York suggested that additional development time for polishing the game and fixing bugs could still lead to a last-minute delay. “So if November comes around and they’re thinking ‘this final mission we have is still not looking very good and there are still a few bugs in this final mission’, they’ll push it six more months if they have to. I would not be shocked at all.”
The Crimson Desert Threat
York has also identified a potential rival. He believes Crimson Desert, the upcoming open-world RPG from Pearl Abyss, could challenge GTA 6 for Game of the Year — but only if Rockstar “drops the ball.”
“This game, this could be Game of the Year, okay. Mark my words,” York said. “And the reason for that is because of how much you can get lost in this game… it really is a contender when it comes to all the cool stuff all this game kind of has to offer.”
“If GTA VI drops the ball, this could be Game of the Year. If GTA 6 wasn’t here at all this year, this [Crimson Desert] would probably take Game of the Year, from what it looks like.”
GTA 6 Trailer 3 Expected This Month
Red Dead Redemption 2 was impressive enough on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Despite never receiving a new-gen update for Xbox Series X/S or PlayStation 5, it still holds up as a technological marvel.
GTA 6, on the other hand, has been made solely with current consoles in mind, and even though its 60fps limitations are making gamers nervous, what we’ve seen so far through trailers and leaks looks astounding.
York has said the third trailer is expected later this month, and that makes the next marketing beat the one that will answer the most basic question around the game: whether Rockstar is moving from atmosphere to proof. Jason and Lucia have still not been shown causing mayhem as players will, so the trailer could be the first real signal of how much the campaign is ready to reveal.
Also, Read
- GTA 6 Update for August: Insider Says “A Fair Bit” of News Is Coming
- GTA 6 Trailer 3 ‘Tease’ Has Gamers Putting On Their Tinfoil Hats
- GTA 6 Trailer 3 Could Be Revealed in August as Insider Teases Rockstar Announcement
If later this month brings another cut of marketing footage, the wait for a clearer look continues; if it shows movement beyond that, the delay in the reveal starts to look like strategy, not hesitation.
Expectations were always going to be high given that it’s a Rockstar game, but GTA VI‘s launch is shaping up to be one of the biggest media releases in human history. November 19 can’t come soon enough.
Grand Theft Auto VI launches on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. A PC release date has not yet been announced.