The expected GTA 6 release date leak is neither shocking or disappointing – here's why

Sigh. So a GTA 6 leak has broken cover that, so the rumor goes, reveals that the game isn't coming out anytime soon but actually as late as 2025, which right now is four years away.

The rumor was reported by GameSpot and stems from serial gaming leakster Tom Henderson, who has a background in leaking information about certain games ahead of official announcements.

To be very clear, though, Henderson says in his video that he is "not known for GTA 6 leaks" and all his information is based purely on "rumblings" that he has supposedly heard from unannounced sources, so we are very much in unsubstantiated rumor territory here.

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On to that rumored date, though. Despite multiple leaks already indicating that GTA 6 isn't coming out anytime soon, the rumored 2025 release date hasn't been taken well by some gamers, apparently, and there's now being multiple reports in the media calling that out, such as this one. But in my mind the idea that someone could get upset about this release date or find it mind-boggling is crazy. Here's why.

Firstly, a GTA 6 release date of 2025 tells me that the game is 100 per cent being made to maximise the capabilities of the PS5 and Xbox Series X next-gen games consoles. And that's a really good thing. That will mean the open world the game delivers will truly be a next-gen experience and won't be, like Cyberpunk 2077 famously was, caught between two hardware generations.

Just think about it. If GTA 6 was coming out this year (or even next year) then it would of spent the vast majority of its development time in the last gen and Rockstar, even if it had been working on next-gen dev kits for years, wouldn't be able to just produce a next-gen console version anyway as not enough gamers have the actual consoles yet (thanks scalpers!). The install base just isn't there and that would of meant a dual last-gen and next-gen release, which absolutely would of held the game back.

Secondly, and to me at least this is the more important point, who really cares? GTA 6 will be impressive I am sure, and I am also sure it will likely set a new benchmark for open world games, but is it really going to do anything different game-wise than the past titles in the series? No, I don't think so at all. I think we'll get the same power-fantasy sandbox with poorly written characters and B-movie plotting.

To be clear, I don't mean to stick the knife in to the GTA series unduly at all despite its well-documented flaws, as I've played and enjoyed (in part) all the games to date, but I just think GTA fanatics are already really well served with GTA V and GTA Online, which continues to do great numbers and will continue to get the GTA experience, so to speak, perfectly adequately until the next game comes out. There's also plenty of GTA clones available, too, such as Watch Dogs: Legion, that offer twists on the same gig.

Indeed, there's a lot of sense in my mind for Rockstar to take a "it's done when it's done" approach to GTA 6, as I think it will suit both the developer (in terms of sales, employee health and not tanking its reputation) and gamers (in terms of getting the most visually impressive, immersive next-gen open world gaming experience) for them to do so.

So, yes, while 2025 (if it is indeed that year – remember, this date is all based on anonymous "rumblings" heard by one man) is many years away right now, I don't think it is anything to get upset about and, really, when you take one look at both the PS5 games and Xbox Series X games coming down the pipe, it's hardly as if there aren't going to be amazing, jaw-dropping experiences landing in the meantime.

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