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GTA 6 story length sparks debate among fans

February 2, 2026
Author: Vlad Phigod
2 min read

As fans wait for new GTA 6 updates, community discussions suggest Rockstar may opt for a tighter, faster-paced story than Red Dead Redemption 2 with 30–50 hours seen as the sweet spot.

With Rockstar Games remaining quiet on new details, the GTA 6 community has turned to speculation. One of the most discussed topics right now: how long the game’s main story campaign will be and how it will compare to Red Dead Redemption 2.

A Reddit user known as Holiday-Fix2882 recently started a discussion asking fans to estimate the length of GTA 6’s core narrative only, excluding side missions and optional activities.

50 hours or even longer?

According to the original post, GTA 6 could potentially be even longer than RDR2, with some estimates reaching 90–100 hours for the main story alone. However, the author considers that scenario unlikely, calling around 50 hours a more realistic expectation, roughly matching Red Dead Redemption 2’s campaign length.

That estimate sparked plenty of debate.

Why many expect a shorter campaign than RDR2

Several commenters argued that Rockstar is unlikely to stretch GTA 6’s story too far. One user, picklewithanickel, pointed out that a longer campaign doesn’t always translate into a better experience.

According to them, Red Dead Redemption 2 needed its length to convincingly portray Dutch’s slow downfall and Arthur Morgan’s character arc, while also giving meaningful screen time to the large Van der Linde gang. GTA 6, by contrast, is expected to feature a more fast-paced, modern crime narrative, which may not require such a lengthy structure.

Based on that reasoning, many fans predict a campaign closer to 30–40 hours.

Community consensus: Somewhere in the middle

Other Reddit users echoed similar expectations:

“40 hours for the main story would be perfect.”
“30 hours is more than enough.”
“I’m guessing around 28–30 hours.”

At the same time, a sizable group of fans still hopes for 50+ hours of story content. One commenter said they would be satisfied if the main campaign lasted around 60 hours, with side activities pushing total playtime past 100 hours.

Despite differing opinions, most fans agree on one thing: Rockstar’s long development cycle has set extremely high expectations, and few believe the studio will disappoint.

Grand Theft Auto VI is currently scheduled to launch on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Sources: Reddit community discussion; Rockstar Games release roadmap (public information)