Grand Theft Auto V players in GTA Online have reported receiving in-game messages stating that Grand Theft Auto VI will launch in 2019. Developer Rockstar Games has addressed the rumors, confirming the messages are fake and not from official channels.
GTA Online players reported receiving the message, which reads, "Rockstar Message GTA VI Coming 2019," on Reddit and the GTA Online forum. This inevitably prompted people to ask the Rockstar Support Twitter account about it. The response follows below; it confirms it is indeed a hoax, as suspected.
Although Rockstar hasn't provided any information on how this happened, the Reddit community has speculated that an opportunistic hacker is using mods and a flaw in the Rockstar Social Club's messaging system to send out the message. Perhaps the biggest giveaway is that the pop-up messages are predominantly appearing in the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC versions of the game, where mods are more prevalent.
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
Obviously, it'd be incredibly out of character for Rockstar to simply reveal the release date for the next entry in its biggest franchise in such a haphazard way. Rockstar like to be very measured in the way it reveals games, delivering fleeting teases and drip-feeding little details to build up excitement.
On top of that, casually announced GTA VI would steal all the thunder from its next game: Red Dead Redemption 2. As confirmed in July, Red Dead Redemption 2's release date is October 26, 2018. The much-anticipated sequel will be available for PS4 and Xbox One. Rockstar hasn't said whether the game is coming to PC, but one of the programmers working on the game has indicated Red Dead Redemption 2 for PC is in development.