GTA 6 dev claims crunch conditions, with staff working until 3am as Rockstar push for November launch

GTA 6 is undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated game releases of all time, with Rockstar Games delaying the game twice in an attempt to ensure it matches the hype around the game. Originally slated for a 2025 launch, Rockstar pushed the game back until November 2026 to give their team time to perfect their work, but with less than 200 days to release, a QA analyst has claimed that teams are working until the early hours of the morning to meet deadlines.

Posted on Friday, May 1, the anonymous user alleged that while their job had perks, they were expected to work overtime without pay, that colleagues had to work until 3 am, and that management is expecting the team to complete tasks that usually take five to six months in just three months.

The review, posted on Glassdoor, which allows users to rate and review employers, concludes with an apparent plea to management, saying: "I enjoyed working here in the previous year, but the last few weeks have been a toll on my mental health. Please be lenient on us, we are humans too."

It should be noted that Glassdoor reviews are not fully verified, and because they are anonymous, anyone can post a review of any company without providing proof of employment. That means there's a chance this has been fabricated, and the situation isn't unfolding like this.

It does, however, sound like stories we've heard at Rockstar before. Back in 2018, it was widely reported that some members of the Red Dead Redemption 2 development team were working 100-hour workweeks multiple times a year. The discourse even made it into the game, with many believing that developers had hidden criticism of working conditions in the description of a revolver.

Whether we hear more on these allegedly poor working conditions in the run-up to GTA 6's release remains to be seen, but with just over six months until November 19, time is ticking away for Rockstar to meet not only fan expectations, but their own.