GTA Co-Creator Dan Houser Has Still Not Seen GTA VI Gameplay

Former Rockstar developer Dan Houser has not watched any gameplay footage of Grand Theft Auto VI and does not intend to do so, preferring to focus on new approaches rather than compare his work to others.

Grand Theft Auto VI is scheduled for release on November 19, 2026, for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles. While some people have waited a long time for this date and regularly rewatch promotional materials, not everyone is interested in the new Rockstar Games title.

Among them is Dan Houser, who previously created games for the Grand Theft Auto franchise. He still has not watched the gameplay demonstration and does not plan to do so. During an interview with Variety, he explained his approach to work. According to Dan, he tries to avoid anything that “could distract or interfere with his creative process.”

The developer is focused on creating open-world games and tries to offer new approaches:

I haven’t seen [GTA VI gameplay] yet and will try to avoid it, because I always try to steer clear of anything that could distract or disrupt my creative process. Given that I spend a huge amount of time creating open-world games, and all the remaining time while I’m awake looking for innovative ways to promote them, I don’t need to see what others are doing. I always try to come up with new approaches rather than sit around comparing what I would have done differently.

It turns out the creator of GTA still hasn't seen GTA VI gameplay — Dan Houser explained his approach to work — Image source: Rockstar Games

Dan Houser admitted that due to his work experience, he can no longer play open-world video games normally because he can “almost in real time deconstruct the strengths and weaknesses of the [development] team”:

I’m constantly thinking along the lines of, ‘Well, their animation team is weak, but the game design is just fantastic.’ Or, ‘Oh, I can practically picture the meeting where they discussed this mechanic.’ I’m not a game designer, I’m sort of a creative director. That’s why I’m constantly looking for new things that no one has done yet, or that can be ‘borrowed’ from older media, or that simply inspire me, or that I’ve been thinking about for a long time.

After leaving Rockstar Games, Dan Houser founded Absurd Ventures, which publishes comic books and graphic novels while also working on games.

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