Grand Theft Auto 6andThe Elder Scrolls 6are easily among the most anticipated upcoming games expected to be released this decade. Both are part of some of the most acclaimed and beloved franchises of all time and yet have had very large gaps between their main releases. Now it appears as ifGrand Theft Auto 6is going to beatElder Scrolls 6to the punch.
As of now,Grand Theft Auto 6has yet to release a trailer. On the other hand, the announcement trailer forThe Elder Scrolls 6recently celebrated its five-year birthdayand has yet to release any new material. With both games, it’s not entirely clear when additional announcements will be made nor when either game will be released. The way things are going, however, it now seems thatGrand Theft Auto 6will be released well beforeThe Elder Scrolls 6.
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How Grand Theft Auto and The Elder Scrolls Are Alike
While they’re completely different types of games, the franchises share a number of odd similarities. They’re both mega-popular open-world franchises that always sell incredibly well.Grand Theft Auto 5is generally listed as the second best-selling video game of all time and Bethesda recently revealed thatThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimhas sold over sixty million copiesworldwide. Both of the previous installments were released in the early 2010s to massive critical praise and fanfare. Unfortunately, bothGrand Theft Auto 5andThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimhave overstayed their welcome.
Since both games were released, both games have been made available across three separate video game console generation cycles.GTA 5was made available on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X in 2022 andSkyrimwas re-released on the Nintendo Switchthat same year. This has unfortunately turned both games into something of a joke among gamers regarding how many times they were released. It is worth noting, however, that in between the releases both developers were working on other projects.
The Various Projects of Rockstar Games and Bethesda Game Studios
Since the release ofThe Elder Scrolls 5, Bethesda has been keeping itself occupied with other projects. In 2015, it releasedFallout 4nearly seven years after its predecessor,Fallout 3. The developer then went to work onFallout 76which remains a controversial gameto this day. The developer then shifted the majority of its attention to its big space game,Starfield. This, of course, does not include all the DLC and other updates that were released for Bethesda’s various properties. On Rockstar Games' front, however, things have been a bit lighter.
Following the development ofGrand Theft Auto 5, Rockstar has only released one major game. That game wasRed Dead Redemption 2which was likewise a big seller. Accompanying the game was an online mode that sadly did not get as much attention as fans wanted. A remaster ofBullywas also released as was theinfamousGrand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition. What really had Rockstar Games' attention, however, wasGrand Theft Auto Online.
With the help of the in-game purchases from that mode,GTAhas become one of the highest-grossing franchises in the game industry, and so the developer has spent much of its time and resources in that mode. Since its release, the mode has had dozens of updates that give players a seemingly endless amount of content to enjoy. Themost recent update was theGrand Theft Auto OnlineSan Andreas Mercenarieswhich launched earlier this month but may be the last major update for the game. All of this helps explain why there has been such a big gap between the new release dates for both franchises' sixth installments.
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Why Grand Theft Auto 6 Will Release Before The Elder Scrolls 6
Currently, neither game has an official release date nor has either released any official gameplay footage. There have been hints as to when they may come out. For the next Bethesda game, sadly, gamers will have to wait a while. Recently, Xbox CEO Phill Spencer stated thatThe Elder Scrolls 6was at least six yearsaway from release. That means that between the release of the game’s first trailer and the minimum release date, eleven years will have gone by before gamers can get their hands on it. With Grand Theft Auto 6, however, fans will not likely have to wait nearly as long.
Last year,Grand Theft Auto 6was the subject of several high-profile leaks. Part of the leaks was early gameplay footage that gave gamers their first look at one of the game’s main characters. Story details were also released, revealing a story about a brother and sister pair of protagonists, with one who may be a DEA agent. At another point, therelease window ofGrand Theft Auto 6was also leaked, pointing to a 2025 release year which many see as a plausible date. If true, it is very possible that the game will launch a full four years beforeThe Elder Scrolls 6.
It’s impossible to say with absolute certainty which of the two games will be released first. However, all the leaks forGrand Theft Auto 6seem to indicate that it is far further in development thanThe Elder Scrolls 6. Delays do happen and Bethesda could always bump up its production schedule on its project, but all of that seems rather unlikely. For the time being, it appears as ifGrand Theft Auto 6is going to beatElder Scrolls 6to the punch.
