Does GTA 6 use an RDR 2 engine? Everything known so far

Does GTA 6 use an RDR 2 engine?
Fans are wondering if GTA 6 will utilize the RDR 2 engine (Image via Rockstar Games)

Now that the GTA 6 release date has been confirmed for May 26, 2026, fans are eager to learn more about the game. Between all the rumors and speculations, Rockstar Games revealed jaw-dropping details of Grand Theft Auto 6 in its second trailer earlier this year, leading to comparisons to Red Dead Redemption 2 (RDR 2). Naturally, fans would like to know if the developers are using the RDR 2 engine to make the upcoming Grand Theft Auto title.

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RDR2 not only has amazing graphics, but the character models, as well as the NPC AI, are quite advanced. While Rockstar Games hasn't confirmed the official engine yet, GTA 6 is likely to use the same engine as RDR2.

Let's further explore all the rumors related to the GTA 6 engine below in the article.

Note: Some parts of the article are subjective and are based on rumors, speculations, and the writer's opinion.

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GTA 6 might use an advanced version of RDR 2's engine - RAGE

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For those unaware, Rockstar Games uses its in-house RAGE (Rockstar Advanced Game Engine) to develop and run most of its titles. Both Grand Theft Auto 5 and RRD 2 use different variants of the same engine. For the latter, the developers made great improvements due to which gamers were blown away by the graphical fidelity in RDR 2.

All this is thanks to the RAGE engine that allows Rockstar Games to render pedestrians, character models, flora, and fauna with many details and impressive quality. According to an article published by Rockstarmag, RDR 2 was made on RAGE 8, and the studio is possibly building GTA 6 on RAGE 9 (a new version of RAGE).

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The second trailer of Grand Theft Auto 6 is a testament to how good characters look with this engine.

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If this is true, then it means that the upcoming title will have highly detailed character models and a photo-realistic environment. Rockstar has already displayed its prowess in both these departments with RDR 2.

According to the rumor, Rage 9 could be highly advanced and further likely improve the water physics, time management system (the day-night cycle), character and NPC AI, and the overall lighting of the game. It could basically make the game feel more lively, realistic, and immersive. This will be a huge step forward since all of these details were already impressive in RDR 2.

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Also Check: GTA 6 price


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However, some players are also worried about Rockstar Games using TAA (Temporal Anti-Aliasing) for some details in the game. While it works well for graphics-intensive titles, some parts, like hair and trees, don't look great and are rather blurry due to this technology.

When trailer 1 of GTA 6 was released in 2023, some fans pointed out Lucia's odd-looking hair. This was also a concern in RDR 2, where the hair sometimes looks out of place. However, the hair physics has significantly improved as seen in trailer 2.

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This suggests that Rockstar has likely improved its RAGE engine, and will try to make the most out of the PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles.


Things should be clearer once Rockstar Games releases the third trailer and begins the GTA 6 pre-order.

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Edited by Dinesh Renthlei
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