Dan Houser, a co-founder of Rockstar Games and the creative force behind nearly every Grand Theft Auto story to date, has confirmed he had no part in the development of GTA 6. Despite this, he’s optimistic about the game’s narrative, assuring fans it will be ‘great,’ even though it won’t feature a story or characters he personally created.
‘I think it’s a great privilege to have worked on something that big. I wrote the last 10 or 11 of them, so I think the world probably had enough GTA from me,’ Houser shared in an exclusive interview at LA Comic Con. He further elaborated, ‘It’s not going to be a story that I wrote or a character set that I developed. I think it’s going to be exciting. The game will be great, I’m sure.’
Beyond Grand Theft Auto, Houser also penned Red Dead Redemption 2. He considers it his finest work, describing it as ‘the best single kind of realization of open-world storytelling thematic consistency, and understanding how the games are assembled to take you on an emotional journey.’
He also holds a fondness for GTA 4, noting, ‘because we did try and evolve how we did the storytelling and did it in a fundamental way.’ The middle section of GTA 5, where three characters seamlessly work together, also impressed him, calling it ‘amazing’ and ‘so smooth.’ He also highlighted the impactful ending of Red Dead 1 among his favorite narrative moments.
Houser recently revealed why the highly anticipated Bully 2 never materialized, attributing its absence to ‘bandwidth issues.’ He explained, ‘if you’ve got a small lead creative team, and a small senior leadership crew, you just can’t do all the projects you want.’
The intensive development for GTA 6 commenced around 2020, following the monumental success of Red Dead Redemption 2, which coincided with Houser’s departure. Originally planned for a 2025 launch, the game experienced a significant delay, shifting its release window from fall 2025 to May 26, 2026. Rockstar issued an apology for the setback, stating, ‘We are very sorry that this is later than you expected.’
Currently, Houser leads Absurd Ventures, a company he founded after leaving Rockstar. His new crime fiction comic series, American Caper, is set to launch on November 12, 2025, with its first arc spanning 12 issues. While the studio’s game projects remain under wraps, it was announced last September that approximately 20 former developers from Ascendant Studios, including its previous CEO, joined Absurd Ventures to establish a new studio in San Rafael, California, named Absurd Marin.
The release of GTA 6 Trailer 2 and the subsequent information drop from Rockstar have fueled intense speculation about what to expect from what is undoubtedly poised to be the largest video game launch in history. As the wait continues, fans can explore numerous insights into GTA 6, including all the discovered details, a collection of 70 new screenshots, and expert opinions on its potential visual performance on the PS5 Pro.
Interestingly, not everyone is caught up in the GTA 6 frenzy. Steven Ogg, the actor behind Grand Theft Auto 5’s iconic character Trevor, recently stated he feels ‘absolutely nothing’ about the upcoming installment, despite Rockstar’s projections of it being an unprecedented gaming event.