What GTA 6’s Release Window Means For Red Dead Redemption 3

Highlights

Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer surprised fans, and even though the release date is set for 2025, it might reveal the potential release window for Red Dead Redemption 3.
Red Dead Redemption and its sequel are critically successful games, and considering the time between GTA and RDR releases, a third game in the franchise might be coming soon.
Despite the success of GTA 5 and the extended gap between its release and Red Dead Redemption 2, the technology and success of GTA 6 may indicate a shorter wait for RDR3.

Rockstar Games surprised millions of fans across the world with the release of the Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer on December 4, taking advantage of an opportunity to officially reveal the title on their own terms after parts of the video leaked online. In the weeks since the trailer’s reveal, fans have painstakingly poured over every second of available footage to try and decipher what to expect from the next game in the Grand Theft Auto series, including the potential release date for Grand Theft Auto 6. And while the only info fans have right now is that GTA 6 will release sometime in 2025, that window actually might shed some light on a date for Red Dead Redemption 3.

Despite not officially being revealed yet, it’s safe to assume that a third game in the Red Dead Redemption franchise is certainly a possibility. While not nearly as financially lucrative as the Grand Theft Auto franchise, Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption 2 are two of the most critically successful games in Rockstar’s library, with Red Dead Redemption 2 winning several Game of the Year awards in 2019 and practically begging for a sequel. Based on the intervening time between Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption releases, that third game in a trilogy may be coming sooner rather than later.

Grand Theft Auto 6 Might Not Hold a Candle to Red Dead Redemption 2 in One Way

Grand Theft Auto 6 already looks like it’s shaping up to be an incredible game, but it might end up disappointing Red Dead 2 fans in one big way.

Using Grand Theft Auto 6’s Launch Window to Predict Red Dead Redemption 3

Rockstar famously began development on Grand Theft Auto 4 immediately following the release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, devoting most of the company’s resources toward creating what was to be the first next-gen 3D Grand Theft Auto game. After 4 years in development, Grand Theft Auto 4 would release on April 29, 2008 for 7th generation consoles and PC. Surprisingly, it would only take 2 years for fans to get the first Red Dead Redemption, which released May 18, 2010, within the same console generation.

While it’s an enticing prospect to imagine the potential Red Dead Redemption 3 releasing in 2027 following the launch of Grand Theft Auto 6 in 2025, it gets a little tricky to pinpoint that window as an accurate timeline when looking at the gap between Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2. Grand Theft Auto 5, while originally releasing as the last major title from Rockstar on 7th generation consoles in 2013, has gone on to continue to be one of the most successful games in the history of the medium and has seen re-releases across two additional console generations.

Following the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One releases of Grand Theft Auto 5 in 2014, a year after the game’s initial launch, Rockstar would devote most of its resources toward creating the incredibly ambitious open world of Red Dead Redemption 2. RDR2 would eventually release in October 2018, making the gap between it and the initial launch of Grand Theft Auto 5 a little over 5 years. However, with the technology in place for the next Grand Theft Auto, the wait between GTA6 and RDR3 may not be as extended.

With a two-year gap between GTA 4 and Red Dead Redemption, and a five-year gap between GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, Red Dead 3 would make sense to release between 2027 and 2030.

Rockstar keeps a notoriously close eye on its projects, being very calculated about when and how it reveals them to fans. Grand Theft Auto 5 continues to generate substantial revenue for Rockstar and parent company Take-Two, and there’s every indication that Grand Theft Auto 6 will be just as successful. With the gap between Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption releases averaging roughly 3 and a half years, it’s entirely possible that fans may get a conclusion to Rockstar’s wild west saga before the end of the decade.