GTA 6 still changing weeks before launch, Rockstar says

GTA 6 is close to launch, but Rockstar says it is still not frozen in place. Speaking to Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, Rockstar's Phil Hooker said the studio has kept making changes to the game in recent months, even with release scheduled for November 19.

"The game is never completely settled," Hooker said, as quoted by GamesRadar+ on October 16. He added: "We never have an exact blueprint. Even within the last few months, we've changed things."

Hooker did not say what those changes were, according to Brazilian outlet GameVicio. So we don't know whether he meant small tuning passes or bigger shifts in missions, systems or content.

Why the game kept slipping

The comments come from Schreier's Bloomberg reporting on the game and a YouTube video he made to expand on it. According to GamesRadar+, Schreier said Rockstar's leadership told him there was no single big reason behind GTA 6's delays. The game just wasn't ready, and its many parts weren't coming together the way the team wanted.

That fits Hooker's description of a studio that revises its ideas as it goes instead of following a fixed plan. It also matches what other Rockstar staff have said about the pressure of following up GTA 5 after more than a decade. Art director Aaron Garbut, for example, has spoken about needing to beat fan expectations. GamesRadar+ also notes that Rockstar has said drones have flown up to the studio's windows in the hope of spotting the game.

The sources disagree on Hooker's job title. GamesRadar+ calls him Rockstar's director of technology, while GameVicio calls him the head of a studio. Either way, he is a senior Rockstar figure speaking on the record.

What it means for players

Changes this late in development are normal for big releases. Studios usually keep fixing and tuning right up to launch, then ship day-one patches and later updates. For GTA 6, that likely means the version on store shelves won't be the final word, and the first patch may land soon after release. If you're planning ahead for install size, our look at how long the reported 210 GB download could take is worth a read.

There's also a hopeful note about the future. GameVicio, citing the Brazilian site Adrenaline, reports that Hooker said Rockstar doesn't want to spend another eight years on its next major game. According to that report, the studio wants to build its future projects on the technology made for GTA 6 instead of starting over, and teams that have worked together for years should be able to move faster. Hooker didn't name the next project or give any timeline, so treat this as a goal, not a promise.

What's still unknown

Rockstar hasn't said which parts of GTA 6 changed in recent months, and it hasn't announced plans for a day-one patch. GTA 6's long road to release has kept reporters busy for years. Bloomberg's earlier coverage has a mixed record, as our breakdown of what the 2022 report got right shows. For now, the next firm date is November 19, when players will finally see how all those late changes come together.