**UPDATE: Rockstar has confirmed that this was indeed the work of a mischievous modder. That means GTA 6 is, as expected, definitely not happening next year. Bah! ** "GTA VI Coming 2019": this is the message that has popped up across the screens of many a GTA Online player over the last few days and, naturally, people are confused. Has Rockstar's chart-topping game just accidentally leaked its own sequel? Could it really be that GTA 6 is launching next year, in such close proximity to the release of Red Dead Redemption 2? Is a stealth announcement for the open world crime series imminent? Sadly the answer to all of these questions is... probably not, but we can't completely rule anything out, given the apparent legitimacy of this new information. Let's break down the facts. GTA 5 Cheats | GTA 5 Peyote Plant locations | GTA 5 Stunt Jump locations | GTA 5 Under the Bridge locations | GTA 5 Letter Scrap locations | GTA 5 Spaceship Parts locations | GTA 5 Monkey Mosaics locations As games are integrated ever further into the online realm, it's common practice for a developer to populate its titles with mini commercials for upcoming sequels, and games have been leaked this way before, when said notification goes out ahead of the official announcement. Additionally, this GTA 6 ad isn't a contained issue, but multiple users have reported the pop-up as appearing in their game, across several platforms, with verified screenshots to boot. So, yeah, there's absolutely a chance, however small, that this is real, and a new Grand Theft Auto game is indeed out next year. Read more The best upcoming games of 2018 But that's a very glass half full outlook on the situation. For one thing, the only platforms where this notification is being reported is on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, which are the only consoles where modding is currently available in GTA 5. With that in mind, this is very likely the work of a mean-spirited hacker, who has somehow managed to infiltrate people's games' with false promises of a non-existent sequel. Think about it: since when has Rockstar ever released two of its titles so closely together? More importantly, why would it? GTA 5 is still selling like hot cakes, and Red Dead Redemption 2 will likely do the same, so both franchises need their breathing spaces in the market to keep flying off the shelves. It takes, on average, several years for Rockstar to release a new game, so the idea that it would launch two within 12 to 15 months of each other sounds absurd. As much as I want to believe this one, it's 99% a false alarm. That hasn't stopped sending the internet crazy with speculation, though, and understandably so. Even if it is a fake, it's a pretty convincing one, so no wonder GTA fans are being sent into meltdown. Whether GTA 6 is happening next year or not, we can hardly complain when the sequel to Red Dead Redemption is right around the corner, which is probably going to take us all at least two years to complete anyway. Best not to have your Rockstar cake and eat it, I say. GTA Online patch notes | How to play GTA Online | How to make money fast in GTA Online | How to level up fast in GTA Online | GTA Online fastest cars | GTA Online best weapons | GTA Online Gunrunning | GTA Online Shark Card To tide you over until then, see which best open world games might be worth diving into this Summer.<doc-sep>Rockstar has quashed a hoax that announced a 2019 release date for GTA 6. Rockstar Games has confirmed that GTA is not coming in 2019, after GTA Online players reported getting an in-game pop-up announcing that the next instalment in the Grand Theft Auto series would be coming in 2019. “This is a hoax made with the use of mods, and not an official message or statement from Rockstar Games,” the official Rockstar Support account tweeted. Players began posting screenshots of the message over on the Rockstar forum that has apparently been appearing on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360, which are currently the only platforms that allow modding in GTA 5. It seems that a hacker deciding to play silly buggers is responsible for the kerfuffle. Rockstar has only recently announced Red Dead Redemption 2 so it was unlikely that the studio would nonchalantly announce GTA 6 via an in-game pop-up. On top of that, GTA 5 sales have been phenomenal, with over 95 million copies sold. GTA 5 is now the most profitable entertainment product ever which is mind-boggling for a game that launched in 2013. For legitimate news on GTA 6, you can head over to our round-up of everything we know so far about the game.<doc-sep>Grand Theft Auto 6 is not scheduled for release in 2019, despite the pop-ups that some Grand Theft Auto Online players have been seeing in the game over the past day or so. The pop-up in question, which says in a purported “Rockstar Message” that “GTA VI” is “coming 2019,” has been reported by numerous players on Reddit and the GTA Online support forums. Many of the reports include screenshots, with some players saying that they saw multiple message pop-ups within a few minutes of each other. If this didn’t instantly fail the sniff test, consider that all the screenshots come from the PlayStation 3, Windows PC or Xbox 360 versions of GTA Online, where players sometimes use mods (at their own peril, since Rockstar only permits them in the single-player story mode). The general consensus on Reddit seems to be that the pop-up is a result of a hacker exploiting the Rockstar Social Club messaging system. Here’s an example of the message in a screenshot from Rockstar Support user jigglybop: Rockstar said on Twitter that the pop-up is a “hoax” that originated from a mod, and added that it is “not an official message or statement from Rockstar Games.” This is a hoax made with the use of mods, and not an official message or statement from Rockstar Games. *OV — Rockstar Support (@RockstarSupport) July 2, 2018 It perhaps goes without saying that it would be exceedingly strange for a video game maker to “leak” the existence and release window of its next game in this way, let alone a publisher as secretive as Rockstar Games for a project as massive as the next Grand Theft Auto title. The company always plays things close to the vest and runs on its own schedule, skipping major events like E3 because it can own the news cycle at any time of year. Speaking of schedules, Rockstar is currently ramping up for the Oct. 26 release of Red Dead Redemption 2. It’s true that the publisher operated on a one-game-per-year timeline earlier in this decade, with Red Dead Redemption in 2010, L.A. Noire in 2011, Max Payne 3 in 2012 and Grand Theft Auto 5 in 2013. But Rockstar tends to announce its games well in advance of releasing them (often because the company ends up delaying the games). Nobody would be shocked to hear that GTA 6 is in development. But it would be a big surprise to hear that it’s coming sometime next year, especially since GTA 5 — which is less than three months from its five-year anniversary — continues to rank in the NPD Group’s monthly top 10 list for software sales.<doc-sep>
The new GTA 6 in 2019 messages are likely a hoax Sign up forfor the biggest new releases, reviews and tech hacks UPDATE: The official Rockstar Support Twitter page has confirmed that the messages popping up in games on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 are not official. "This is a hoax made with the use of mods, and not an official message or statement from Rockstar Games," the official Rocket Support message reads. It appears that a modder has found a way to use Rockstar's in-game announcement system and also explains why the notification is popping up in single-player too. ORIGINAL: Grand Theft Auto remains one of the most successful and popular video games franchises in the world. The latest release, GTA 5, remains one of the most played games in 2018, despite launching back in 2013. The key to its longevity has been GTA 5 Online, a multiplayer mode which continues to see new content released. This month will see a Nightclub expansion, while even more updates are expected before the release of Red Dead Redemption 2. So you can see why fans may have been a little shocked to see a message about a GTA 6 release date landing in 2019. Not only would it be pretty unlikely that Rockstar would launch their new Grand Theft Auto so soon after RDR 2, but it’s unclear just what kind of game it will be. GTA Online has reshaped how Rockstar Games goes about their development, so GTA 6 is likely to be a big project.