Is GTA 6's Story Really 75 Hours Long? Fan Reactions and Analysis
New GTA 6 story length speculation suggests 75 hours of gameplay. Here's what fans are saying, how it compares to GTA V, and what it could mean for Rockstar's next game.
Recent speculation suggests that Grand Theft Auto VI’s main story campaign will be approximately 75 hours long, significantly longer than previous GTA titles. This would make it substantially more extensive than GTA V’s 32-hour campaign and even Red Dead Redemption 2’s 50-hour story mode. The speculated information indicates the narrative will be structured with a prologue and five chapters, with further speculation that the final chapter could take place outside the United States.
Image courtesy of Rockstar Games
The GTA 6 community is fu@king losing their minds over these claims, with everyone from Reddit’s r/GTA6 to YouTube creator MrBossFTW debating whether this ambitious scope is realistic or just wishful thinking. Let’s break down what we actually know, what the speculation suggests, and why this number has the community split between excitement and skepticism.
Where Did the 75-Hour Number Come From?
Industry Sources Start the Buzz
The speculation originated from gaming industry sources and quickly spread across multiple outlets. Gaming Bible and Times of India both reported on the claim, with some sources suggesting the story could range anywhere from 45-75 hours depending on player choices and completion style.
Analysis shows that this would make GTA 6’s campaign significantly longer than any previous Rockstar game. For context:
- GTA V: ~30 hours main story
- Red Dead Redemption 2: ~50 hours main story
- GTA IV: ~25 hours main story
Even at the lower end of 45 hours, this would still represent a 50% increase over GTA V’s campaign length.
Image courtesy of Rockstar Games
How This Compares to Past Rockstar Games
Rockstar’s Escalating Ambition
Technical analysis shows how Rockstar has been increasing both mission complexity and narrative depth with each release.
Mission Count Analysis:
- GTA V: 69 main missions + side content
- RDR2: 104 main missions + extensive side content
- GTA 6 (rumored): 100+ missions with dual main character structure
The dual main character system featuring Jason Duval and Lucia could naturally extend the campaign length. Character switching mechanics suggest each character could have unique mission chains that eventually converge.
What story analysts are saying:
- Longer campaigns allow for deeper character development
- More time to explore Vice City’s expanded map
- Potential for multiple storyline branches
What This Could Mean for GTA 6’s World and Structure
If the 75-hour leak is accurate, it suggests some massive changes to how Rockstar approaches open-world design. AI and Games, a respected YouTube channel focused on game design analysis, has noted how this could dramatically impact mission pacing and world interaction.
Potential Implications:
🎮 Mission Structure
- Longer, more complex heists with extended setup phases
- Character-specific storylines that require time investment
- Enhanced relationship mechanics between Jason and Lucia
🗺️ World Size
- Vice City would need to be significantly larger to support 75 hours of content
- More diverse districts and locations to prevent repetition
- GTAForums community mapper ViceMapping estimates the map could be 2-3x larger than GTA V
🔄 Replayability
- Multiple story paths and player choices affecting campaign length
- Side activities integrated more deeply into main narrative
- Potential for story DLC that extends the experience further
Image courtesy of Rockstar Games
Fan Reactions: Excitement vs. Skepticism
Community Split Down the Middle
The community is split, and for good reason. Reddit’s r/GTA6 has been going back and forth on whether this is realistic or just hype.
The Excited Camp:
- “75 hours of Vice City? Sign me the fu@k up!” - top comment on GTAForums
- Community response: “the epic narrative length we deserve”
- Many fans compare it favorably to RPGs like The Witcher 3
The Skeptical Camp:
- Some worry about mission padding and filler content
- Content creators like MrBossFTW have raised concerns about maintaining quality across 75 hours
- Others question if the leak sources are reliable
Rockstar has historically been conservative with campaign length estimates, focusing on quality over quantity. This makes the 75-hour claim particularly surprising.
Image courtesy of Rockstar Games
How Rockstar Has Handled Big Campaigns Before
Learning from Red Dead Success
Looking at Rockstar’s track record, they’ve consistently increased campaign lengths while maintaining their storytelling quality. The technical demands of longer campaigns significantly affect development resources.
RDR2’s Success Model:
- 50+ hour campaign that never felt padded
- Strong character development throughout
- Side content that enhanced rather than distracted from main story
Community analysis of the business implications notes that longer campaigns can justify higher price points and reduce the pressure for immediate DLC releases.
The key question isn’t whether Rockstar can make a 75-hour campaign, but whether they should. Jason Schreier, the respected gaming journalist from Bloomberg, has reported on how development scope affects release timelines, and a campaign this ambitious could explain some of the delays we’ve seen.
Image courtesy of Rockstar Games
What About Mission Count and Pacing?
Breaking Down the Numbers
If GTA 6 really hits 75 hours, the mission count would need to be substantial. GTALoremaster, a popular GTA community analyst, has analyzed how mission pacing affects player engagement and suggested that longer campaigns require more varied mission types.
Potential Mission Breakdown:
- Main storyline: 60-70 missions across both characters
- Character-specific arcs: 20-30 missions each for Jason and Lucia
- Joint missions: 15-20 missions featuring both main characters
- Setup and preparation: Extended heist planning phases
The dual character system naturally extends playtime, as players will want to experience each character’s unique perspective on events.
Image courtesy of Rockstar Games
The Bottom Line: Should We Believe the Speculation?
Separating Hype from Reality
Here’s the reality: we won’t know for sure until Rockstar confirms it. The 75-hour claim comes from industry sources that have been hit-or-miss in the past.
What we do know:
- Rockstar has been working on GTA 6 for over a decade
- The scope and budget are unprecedented
- The trailers suggest a massive, detailed world
- The dual main character system could naturally extend campaign length
What Tom Henderson, industry insider from GamesBeat, and other reliable sources are saying:
- Campaign length estimates vary widely depending on completion style
- Rockstar is targeting their most ambitious project yet
- Final length could change during development
Our take? Even if the final campaign is “only” 50-60 hours, that’s still a massive step up from GTA V. And honestly, if anyone can pull off a 75-hour campaign without it feeling padded, it’s Rockstar.
Whether it’s 45 hours or 75 hours, GTA 6 is shaping up to be the biggest gaming experience we’ve ever seen. The real question isn’t the length - it’s whether our social lives can survive it.
