'Grand Theft Auto 6' release date still unconfirmed; fans hint at a 2018 release

Despite the lack of an official confirmation from Rockstar Games, the sixth installment of the studio's hit action-adventure video game series, "Grand Theft Auto 6" has been floating around the rumor mill for some time now.

While there's no confirmed release date associated with the hotly-anticipated title, "GTA" loyalists have been restlessly waiting for Rockstar Games to divulge more details about the long-rumored title.

But, the game developer seems to be in no mood to deviate its focus from its current cash cow, "GTA V," which continues to receive updates and new mods.

Is a 2018 release date likely?

Although Rockstar continues to remain tight-lipped about the game, fans have not ceased speculating about "GTA VI" release date. Most of the speculations stem from various reports that are currently making rounds on the internet. Avid gamers are hoping that they start 2018 with the launch of a new "Grand Theft Auto" title.

While fans believe "GTA VI" will finally hit the store shelves sometime next year, a report by PCGamesn claims that's highly unlikely since Rockstar Games will be having its hands full next year with "Red Dead Redemption 2," instead.

In fact, Rockstar even mentioned that "RDR2" is keeping its development team busy these days, Donklephant reported.

Is 'RDR2' interfering with an early release of new 'GTA' game?

Several reports suggest that Rockstar Games will not even start working on a new "GTA" title until the launch of its equally anticipated Western-themed action-adventure video game, "Red Dead Redemption 2," which is slated to hit the store shelves for PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in Q2 2018.

It is imperative that the long-rumored sequel to "Red Dead Redemption" garners huge popularity as well. Following the success of "RDR2," Rockstar Games might decide to finally start working on "Grand Theft Auto 6," according to a report by Donklephant.

Some GTA-related updates suggest that the upcoming "GTA" game will incorporate VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented reality) and a myriad of other never-before-included features. As a result, the development cost of the next "Grand Theft Auto" title is expected to be really high.

At a whopping $265 million, "Grand Theft Auto" was touted as the most expensive video game ever. Newspaper The Scotsman predicted that the game developer would sell a considerable 25 million copies in the first year itself, bringing about sales of £1 billion ($1.57 billion).

Taking the high development cost into consideration, Rockstar Games might resort to postponing the release of "GTA 6." Also, this might be one of the reasons why the game developer is keeping mum about details such as the game's location and main character. If similar speculations that recently found their way onto the internet proved to be true, Rockstar would introduce a female protagonist this time around.