Why a 2023 release date for GTA 6 is unrealistic based on leaked footage

There are several reasons why a 2023 release date for GTA 6 is unrealistic. No announcement from Rockstar Games is the biggest one. However, there is also the matter of what was shown in the videos that were made public in 2022. While the actual content of the mega-leak can't be physically shown here, this article will still refer to some of the files from it.

The game is obviously going to be huge in scale, and the files were surprisingly recent. For example, one was called "Americas 2022-09-12 14-51-59", indicating that it was made on September 12, 2022.

Assuming that the videos that were leaked aren't several years old and were given accurate file names, it could be a while before the game comes out.

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Why fans shouldn't expect a GTA 6 release date in 2023

The most recent video leaks show that GTA 6, while impressive looking, isn't quite polished enough to be released anytime soon. Its graphics hasn't been refined yet, and some notable issues are still present in the build seen in the mega-leak from September 18, 2022.

The files that were revealed range from March 3, 2021, to September 17, 2022. If the game had truly been near completion by that point, more leaks would've shown off a near-finished product. That said, there are rumors that the videos that were made public are much older than what was shown.

If that's the case, then it would be impossible to tell how soon the game might be released. The following reason is far more convincing regarding why GTA 6 is unlikely to be released in 2023.

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No major announcement from Rockstar Games yet

Common sense indicates that a massively successful game won't be released out of nowhere (Image via Rockstar Games)

The most egregious reason why GTA 6 is unlikely to get a release date for 2023 is that Rockstar Games hasn't announced it. This company isn't known for stealth-dropping a highly anticipated video game out of nowhere.

Just for reference, here is when Rockstar Games announced and released some other major titles in the past:

• Grand Theft Auto IV announcement: May 10, 2006
• Grand Theft Auto IV initial launch: April 29, 2008
• Grand Theft Auto V announcement: October 25, 2011
• Grand Theft Auto V initial launch: September 17, 2013
• Red Dead Redemption 2 announcement: October 18, 2016
• Red Dead Redemption 2 initial launch: October 26, 2018

Fans can see that there is usually a nearly two-year period between a major game's announcement and its release date. Rockstar Games had only revealed that GTA 6 was under development when this article was written.

The next Grand Theft Auto game was confirmed on February 4, 2022. However, it wouldn't be logical for the developers to release the game in 2023 without offering an announcement trailer beforehand.

As hype-worthy as this game is, all fans can do is wait until Rockstar Games finally reveals the game. Its release date is likely years away from its announcement date. However, there is a possibility that the game will be shown in 2023, but that doesn't mean it will be released this year.