GTA 6 confirmed to launch without story input from Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser

Grand Theft Auto VI will be the first mainline title in the series not to feature story input from Dan Houser, co-founder of Rockstar Games.

Houser, who left the studio in 2020, played a central role in shaping the narratives of Rockstar’s most successful projects, including Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2, Bully, and Max Payne 3.

His writing has been credited with defining the tone and depth of the Grand Theft Auto franchise since its early instalments.

In a recent interview with IGN, Houser addressed speculation about his potential involvement in GTA VI. He clarified that the game’s story and characters are entirely independent of his work.

“I feel incredibly privileged to have worked on something so massive,” Houser said. “I wrote the last ten or eleven games, so I think the world’s had enough GTAs from me.

There’s always a new story to tell, but this time, there won’t be any narrative or characters I created. I think it’s going to be exciting—and the game’s going to be great.”

Fans had long wondered if remnants of Houser’s earlier writing might influence the upcoming release, but his comments confirm GTA VI will mark a new creative direction for the franchise.

Rockstar Games has confirmed that Grand Theft Auto VI is in development for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.

The title is scheduled for release on May 26 2026 at 12:00 a.m. EST, with the studio currently on track to meet that date.