'GTA 6' Release Date Announcement in 'GTA V Online' Is Fake

Rockstar Games recently confirmed that the “GTA VI” announcement shown on “GTA V Online” was fake.

A message that reads “GTA VI: Coming 2019" started popping up on “GTA V Online” screens on Sunday, and players immediately shared screenshots of the purported “GTA VI” announcement, causing a lot of confusion among fans. Later, “GTA V” players flocked to Rockstar Games community pages and Reddit threads asking fellow gamers whether or not they thought the message was true.

On Monday, the official Rockstar Support Twitter page finally addressed the reports and clarified that the in-game message was fake and was only “made with the use of mods.” The social media page reiterated that it was not an official announcement from Rockstar Games.

The obvious hesitance among fans in believing the modded “GTA VI” message is understandable. Rockstar Games is known for being highly secretive, especially about the development of major titles such as the much-anticipated “GTA VI.” Fans who immediately thought that Rockstar Games would opt for a grander manner of the announcement were also probably right.

Hours before Rockstar Support’s official statement on the hoax “GTA VI” announcement, a Rockstar Games insider known by the Twitter username Yan2295 already told his followers that the message on the “GTA V” was not true.

“So many people asking about the 'GTA VI' message on GTA Online. It's just some clever modder who found a way to use Rockstar's announcement system, which is why the message also appears in Single Player, that's all,” Yan2295 said.

Publisher Take-Two Interactive confirmed in May that the current title had surpassed the 95 million-mark of sold copies, which was up by 5 million from February. This a notable milestone for the title considering it was released almost five years ago. It also proves that the franchise is continuously doing well on the market and could mean that “GTA VI” is definitely going to be in the pipeline for Rockstar Games. Unfortunately, a 2019 release is unlikely.