The epic Grand Theft Auto V is encroaching on seven years old, and a new entry in the series is nowhere in sight. Red Dead Redemption 2’s 2018 release was monumental, but it doesn’t scratch all the same itches.
All we really know is that Rockstar Games is working their butts off trying to craft the best gaming experience possible, which will most likely revolutionize the open-world genre once again. Until an official announcement is made, all fans have are these whispers and their own fantasies of how they want the sixth entry to turn out. Dan Houser’s recent departure from the studio has also thrown a new variable into the mix, making one wonder why he left and how it affects the game’s development.
In the vacuum of solid information about the enigmatic Grand Theft Auto VItitle arises a flurry of rumors with varying degrees of validity, the ten most exciting of which are described below.
10 Celebrity Voice Actors
The studio has shied away from celebrity talent starting with GTA IV in an attempt to further engross players into their worlds. If this rumor has any ounce of truth to it, it looks like they may return to some of their old ways with the new title. John Leguizamo is one name highlighted in the rumor, an appropriate choice considering his role on Miami Vice, a series which heavily influenced the gaming franchise.
9 Three Cities
The gaming worlds of Rockstar titles get incrementally larger with each successor. The rumor of three cities returning would harken back to the PS2 era of games, especially San Andreas, which took place in a whole state. The focus on one city taken by GTA IV and V ensured a more detailed environment, but Red Dead Redemption 2 proved a varied landscape could be equally intricate. Perhaps they are taking on this challenge with a modern, urban environment.
8 South American City
The series has so far taken place entirely within the United States, save for the expansion London, 1969. Should they decide to take the action outside of the country into a South American city, it will present a plethora of new opportunities for the development team. Max Payne 3 already showed the insane amount of effort they put into recreating a foreign setting, so Rockstar’s would not be their first go-around at it. Getting free roam around somewhere like Colombia or Brazil would be a first-time thing for gamers as well.
7 Inspired By Narcos
It is not going out on a limb to hypothesize the next game following criminals. It is the type of crime and the protagonist’s role in it that will remain up for debate until trailers pop up. Current rumors point to a storyline about running drugs between South America and the United States inspired by the Netflix show, Narcos. With this in mind, the aforementioned settings of Florida and South America make total sense.
6 Set In The ’70s And ’80s
The series is no stranger to settings decades in the past. All games in the HD era have so far put the action in modern times. This could change in the next game, however, where the drama could occur during the ’70s or ’80s. If the storyline focuses on the drug trade, the time would be logical. Drug trafficking is still a multi-billion dollar business, but those particular decades are associated with all the glitz and glam of the evil business.
5 Much Of The Dialogue Is In A Foreign Language
Rockstar is always a stickler for the details, something which works to their games’ advantage. Max Payne 3 features a significant chunk of its dialogue in Portuguese to reflect the setting and the protagonist’s feeling of being out of place. Grand Theft Auto VI will potentially feature a large portion of its conversations in a foreign language as well.
It certainly helps immerse gamers into a setting, and is a great tool for learning a language too. Some may bemoan having to read so many subtitles, but it is a small price to pay for realism.
4 Soundtrack Leak
The licensed soundtrack is always a vital element of the series. Players spend dozens, potentially hundreds of hours in the world and need great tunes accompanying them for the ride. A potential leak spilled out some artists for the game. As exciting of a list as it is, the names give us pause regarding the validity of the aforementioned rumors. Many of the artists are contemporary, making their inclusion anachronistic if the game is set in the past. Such is the nature of rumors, however. Some are true, others contain half-truths, and the majority of them are false.
3 Fuel Being A Mechanic
Cars have always had an infinite amount of fuel. Despite the developer’s penchant for realism, they usually make exceptions if it isn’t fun. The next title may include fuel as a gameplay mechanic, however. It doesn’t speculate on whether it means car gas or plane fuel, though, so it could have something to do with running drugs in between the countries. However, if they decide to utilize it, we’re sure they are spending countless hours tinkering with it until they get it just right, assuming they are considering the mechanic at all.
2 Storage Mechanic
In addition to fuel, storage is another mechanic with the possibility of showing up in the game. This could relate to either inventory space or something more mission-based, giving credence to the rumor about a story following drug runners. Perhaps one has to decide how much product they bring in versus equipment to ensure a safe delivery or protection. More product is a higher risk, but also gives a bigger reward.
1 A 2020 Release
This would be hard to believe, but AAA titles have pulled off a similar release strategy. No information save for whispers and rumors until an announcement trailer comes paired with a release date six months down the line. With the next-generation consoles on the horizon, it is even more believable to think the game would come out this year. It would mark a relatively small gap between Rockstar games, however, with RDR2 only coming out in 2018, while the preceding game was 2013’s GTA V. Whatever the case, we hope they don’t strive for a 2020 date with crunch and undesirable working conditions.
