If there is one game that fans have been really looking forward to, it is none other than GTA 6. Despite the hype, it is shrouded in mystery. For now, let’s talk about what we know so far about the upcoming title, and what we might see.
First, the hypothetical. A YouTube video shows what the game could look like using ray tracing. In case you did not know, ray tracing is a rendering technique that is said to be featured in Sony’s PlayStation 5. The console does not have an official name yet, but ray tracing can simulate realistic lighting effects to make games even more immersive and realistic.
It is worth noting that the footage below uses GTA 5. The uploader just wants viewers to see how GTA 6 could look if developed with ray tracing. You can check the footage below:
In more concrete news, there were job listings a while back that hinted at Rockstar making GTA 6 and Bully 2 for the next generation of consoles. In addition, an anonymous "European developer" believed to be working on a AAA launch title for the PS5 mentioned the sixth main installment of GTA has a holiday 2020 release date. But since nothing official has been said since, these should be taken with a grain of salt.
For Michel Pachter of Wedbush Securities, however, the 2020 release doesn't seem real. For him, Rockstar might go for a 2021 announcement and release the game come 2022. This, according to him, is assuming that PS5 will indeed arrive in 2020. A lot of fans are also sold by the idea that the studio will release GTA 6 as a PS5 title, or at least as a game available in the platform.
When it comes to the game’s setting, there is a reason to believe a return to Vice City is likely. This is simply due to Rockstar’s decision to reintroduce Los Angeles in GTA 5. In an interview, the company’s president Leslie Benzies talked about the franchise’s trifecta of preferred cities, but didn't hint at anything specific.
“We don’t know what GTA 6 will be, but we’ve got some ideas," Benzies said in the interview. "We’ve got about 45 years’ worth of ideas we want to do. We’ll pick the right ones. It comes from the idea first. Where it is going to be set is the first question. That then defines the missions; you’re doing different things in LA than in New York or Miami. The map and story get worked up together, and the story is a basic flow of how it works out so you can layer the mission in.”
It is hard to tell how GTA 6 will develop. I am, however, confident that Rockstar will move forward with Vice City and a little expanded version of GTA Online. Why the online version? Well, it is a business decision – GTA Online proves to be an overwhelmingly remarkable success, so it makes sense to keep that cash cow running.
