GTA 6 Won’t Use Generative AI Despite Take-Two’s Huge AI Push

Grand Theft Auto VI, better known as GTA 6, is the next instalment in Rockstar Games’ hugely successful Grand Theft Auto series. Rockstar is the studio developing the game, while Take-Two Interactive is Rockstar’s parent company and the wider business behind the franchise.

That relationship makes their approach to artificial intelligence particularly interesting. Take-Two is exploring AI extensively across its wider operations, but CEO Strauss Zelnick has said generative AI had “zero part” in what Rockstar was building for GTA 6.

Rockstar is keeping GTA 6 handcrafted

Zelnick made the comments while discussing Rockstar’s development approach earlier this year. He said Rockstar’s games are built by hand, with development teams creating their worlds in detail rather than relying on generative systems to produce the finished content.

That carries extra weight because GTA 6 is one of the most anticipated entertainment releases in gaming. The game is due to launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on 19 November 2026, returning players to Vice City and the wider state of Leonida.

For readers who do not closely follow gaming, Grand Theft Auto is one of the biggest video game franchises in the world. That means Rockstar’s decision not to rely on generative AI for its biggest upcoming release is likely to attract attention far beyond traditional gaming circles.

Take-Two is still going heavily into AI

The absence of generative AI from GTA 6 does not mean Take-Two is avoiding artificial intelligence elsewhere.

Zelnick has said the company has hundreds of AI pilots and implementations across its wider business. Those projects include uses aimed at improving efficiency, reducing costs and supporting different parts of game development and company operations.

That creates a much more interesting picture than simply saying Take-Two is either for or against AI. The company appears willing to use the technology heavily where it sees a practical benefit, while Rockstar continues to protect the handcrafted nature of its flagship game.

GTA 6 shows where one major gaming company is drawing the line

Gaming companies are facing many of the same questions already being asked across television, music and film. AI can help speed up production and support creative teams, but audiences are also increasingly interested in knowing whether the entertainment they are buying was actually created by people.

For Take-Two, the answer appears to depend on where the technology is being used. AI may have an important role across the wider business, but GTA 6 is still being presented as a game built through traditional human development rather than generated content.

That distinction could become increasingly important as more entertainment companies try to work out how far they want AI to go.

For more on how artificial intelligence is changing gaming, music, television, streaming and digital entertainment, keep checking SoapLandTV’s AI & Entertainment section for our latest coverage.