Rockstar has revealed that GTA 6 will feature a romantic criminal duo: Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos. They are the main characters. The game world is set in Leonida, a fictional U.S. state inspired by Florida, with Vice City being its central urban area.
Rockstar describes the plot like this: “Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida – forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.”
One key detail now confirmed by a Rockstar co-founder is that Lucia is a voiced female protagonist. That is a meaningful change. Previous female protagonists in GTA had been silent.
Dan Houser’s role (or lack thereof) in the story
A recent interview with Dan Houser, a co-founder of Rockstar and longtime lead writer, brought a surprising truth: he had no involvement in writing GTA 6. He said:
“It’s not going to be a story I wrote or a character set that I developed.”
“I wrote the last 10 or 11 [GTAs]. I think the world’s probably had enough GTA from me.”
This marks a big shift. Dan Houser wrote or co-wrote nearly every GTA title since the late 1990s.
His absence raises questions. Will the narrative quality match earlier games? But Rockstar’s team is large. They have writers and story designers. Houser’s departure doesn’t mean the story will be weak.
Some reports go deeper. They claim Rockstar rejected three versions of Houser’s GTA 6 scripts before the final version was accepted. The rejected scripts had very different ideas: multiple protagonists, detective roles, or a policewoman paired with a smuggler.
One version was a “detective story” with three protagonists. Another had a policewoman and a criminal underling. A later version replaced the policewoman with a former soldier released from prison.
These early scripts were scrapped. The final story went with Jason and Lucia instead, which suits a crime romance plot.
Development timeline & delays
According to Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick, full development of GTA 6 began “in earnest” in 2020.
However, the game was first announced publicly in 2022.
Originally the release was planned for Fall 2025. But the date was delayed. The new confirmed release date is May 26, 2026. Rockstar said they needed extra time to polish everything.
So, from “in earnest” start to release, we get roughly 6 years of core development (2020–2026). If pre-production time is counted, the span may be longer.
The delay drew attention. Zelnick said the company fully supports giving the team time to meet the high quality fans expect.
Ambition and scope
Some industry voices now call GTA 6 a “AAAAA” game — meaning it’s beyond even the usual “AAA” in scope, budget, and ambition.
Rockstar also supports this reputation. In their announcement, they promised “the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.”
Budget rumors are massive. Some believe GTA 6’s cost may exceed $1–2 billion USD.
Analysts forecast high sales. Some estimates: 40 million units sold in the first year; $3.2 billion revenue in that same year. That would outpace GTA 5’s launch.
Such numbers reflect confidence. GTA 6 is seen as a tentpole project.
Possible modding / user content tools
There is strong speculation that Rockstar will let players create user-generated content (UGC) or mod elements, similar to Roblox or Fortnite.
One codename floating around is Project ROME (Rockstar Online Modding Engine). It may let the community build custom experiences, mod environments, and more.
This move would be big. Rockstar traditionally had tight control over content and sometimes cracked down on modders. UGC tools would shift that mindset.
Rockstar’s acquisition of Cfx.re (the team behind popular GTA mod frameworks) supports the idea that they’re investing in modding and community tools.
If true, GTA 6 won’t just be a game. It could be a platform or meta-ecosystem.
What this means for fans
- For long-time fans, don’t expect the story style you knew from Houser. The voice is new.
- The love story between Jason and Lucia is central.
- The world is big: open world across Leonida, with Vice City and beyond.
- The delay means higher polish, fewer bugs at launch (ideally).
- If UGC tools arrive, players might create maps, missions, or mods on consoles and PC.
- The expectations are extremely high. Everyone expects a game worth the wait.
Final thought
GTA 6 is shaping up to be a very different beast. The departure of Dan Houser from the story is a major shift. The protagonists, romance, bigger scope, and possible user content tools all hint at a bold new chapter. If Rockstar pulls it off, this could be one of the biggest game launches ever.
