BEFORE GTA VIEverything that happened while we waited
From the Big Bang to the present day — every major event in cosmic, planetary, and human history that occurred before Rockstar finally released GTA 6.
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The Beginning of Everything
Billions of years before GTA 6
13.8 Billion BC
The Big Bang
The universe explodes into existence from a point smaller than an atom. Time itself begins. The GTA 6 release countdown technically starts here.
Cosmic
13.6 Billion BC
First Stars Ignite
The first stars flicker to life in the dark universe. They'll burn for millions of years. Rockstar's "we're working on it" burns even longer.
Cosmic
4.6 Billion BC
The Sun Is Born
A cloud of gas collapses into our star. It will burn for another 5 billion years — probably still burning when Rockstar announces GTA 7.
Cosmic
4.5 Billion BC
Earth Is Formed
A giant ball of molten rock assembles from cosmic debris. It will take 4.5 billion years before someone puts a strip club in a video game set on it.
Cosmic
4.5 Billion BC
The Moon Forms
A Mars-sized object slams into Earth, creating the Moon. The biggest collision until Rockstar's servers on GTA Online launch day.
Cosmic
3.7 Billion BC
First Life Appears
Single-celled organisms emerge in ancient oceans. They have no concept of release dates or hype trailers.
Biology
2.4 Billion BC
The Great Oxidation Event
Cyanobacteria flood the atmosphere with oxygen, killing nearly all life. Earth literally patches itself like a buggy game launch.
Extinction
540 Million BC
Cambrian Explosion
Complex life suddenly explodes in diversity. Eyes, shells, claws — nature drops a massive content update.
Biology
400 Million BC
Fish Crawl Onto Land
The first vertebrates leave the ocean. The original open-world explorers.
Evolution
230 Million BC
Dinosaurs Appear
Giant reptiles dominate Earth for 165 million years. Still a shorter wait than GTA 5 to GTA 6.
Mesozoic
150 Million BC
First Birds Evolve
Archaeopteryx takes flight. Dinosaurs with feathers. Evolution is basically God modding at this point.
Evolution
66 Million BC
Asteroid Wipes Out the Dinosaurs
A 6-mile-wide rock ends 165 million years of dinosaur rule. They never got to play GTA. Honestly? Maybe they're the lucky ones.
Extinction Event
55 Million BC
First Primates Appear
Small tree-dwelling mammals begin evolving into our ancestors. 55 million years until they can hold a DualSense.
Evolution
6 Million BC
Hominids Walk Upright
Early ancestors stand on two feet. They now have hands free to one day hold a controller.
Evolution
— still waiting for GTA VI —
Ice Age & Early Humans
Millions of years before GTA 6
2.6 Million BC
Ice Age Begins
Massive glaciers cover the earth. Humanity would develop interplanetary rockets faster than Rockstar develops GTA 6.
Climate
1.8 Million BC
Humans Discover Fire
Warmth, cooked food, survival. Humanity's first tech upgrade. Still can't run Unreal Engine 5 though.
Discovery
400,000 BC
First Shelters Built
Early humans build huts from branches and animal skins. The first safe houses.
Survival
300,000 BC
Homo Sapiens Appear
Modern humans arrive in Africa. Smart enough to make fire, language, art — but 300,000 years too early for GTA 6.
Humanity
100,000 BC
Humans Leave Africa
Humanity spreads across the globe. Probably looking for a GameStop.
Migration
40,000 BC
Cave Paintings Created
Humans draw on walls in Lascaux, France. The first concept art. The first leaks, if you will.
Art
12,000 BC
Wolves Domesticated Into Dogs
Humans befriend wolves. Man's best friend is born. Chop from GTA V approves.
Animals
10,000 BC
Agriculture Invented
Humans stop wandering and start farming. The concept of "waiting for something" is born. Little do they know.
Revolution
3,500 BC
The Wheel Is Invented
Mesopotamians create the wheel. The first vehicle component. Thousands of years later, people will steal entire cars in GTA.
Invention
3,100 BC
Writing Invented
Sumerians create cuneiform. Humans can now record things. "GTA 6 when?" would have to wait.
Civilization
— rockstar games has not been founded yet. keep scrolling. —
Ancient Civilizations
Thousands of years before GTA 6
~2560 BC
Great Pyramid of Giza Built
100,000 workers, 20 years. Still completed faster than GTA 6's development cycle.
Architecture
1754 BC
Code of Hammurabi
One of the first legal codes. "An eye for an eye." Still fairer than Shark Card pricing.
Law
1200 BC
Trojan War
Greeks hide in a wooden horse. A 10-year siege. The original "Are we there yet?"
War
776 BC
First Olympic Games
Ancient Greeks invent competitive sports in Olympia. Dozens of Olympics will be held before GTA 6.
Sports
509 BC
Roman Republic Founded
Rome begins its 1,000-year run. An empire will rise, dominate, and completely collapse before GTA 6.
Civilization
~500 BC
Democracy Invented in Athens
Citizens vote on governance. Unfortunately no one voted on Rockstar's release schedule.
Politics
323 BC
Alexander the Great Conquers the Known World
By 30, he'd built an empire from Greece to India. Whole campaign finished faster than one dev cycle.
Conquest
214 BC
Great Wall of China Construction Begins
13,000 miles of wall. Multiple dynasties finished their sections before GTA 6 came out.
Architecture
44 BC
Julius Caesar Assassinated
"Et tu, Brute?" Caesar died never knowing what a wanted level was.
History
~4 BC
Jesus Christ Is Born
The calendar resets. BC becomes AD. A new era begins. GTA 6 is still ~2,030 years away.
Religion
79 AD
Vesuvius Destroys Pompeii
An entire city frozen in ash. Even Pompeii got a more sudden ending than GTA V's lifespan.
Disaster
— we are now in the AD years. GTA VI is not even a concept. —
Medieval Era
Over a thousand years before GTA 6
476
Fall of the Roman Empire
1,000 years of Rome collapses. Empires rise and fall, but GTA 6 remains unreleased.
Collapse
~600
Islam Founded
A new world religion emerges and shapes history for the next 1,400+ years.
Religion
793
Viking Age Begins
Norse warriors raid across Europe. The original open-world players — no mini-map, no save points.
Exploration
1066
Battle of Hastings
William the Conqueror takes England. Conquered a nation faster than Rockstar ships a game.
War
1206
Genghis Khan Unites the Mongols
Builds the largest contiguous land empire in history in 20 years. Absolute speedrun.
Conquest
1215
Magna Carta Signed
Foundation of modern law. No clause about guaranteed game release dates, sadly.
Law
1347
The Black Plague
Kills one-third of Europe. Dark times. But at least it only lasted about 7 years.
Pandemic
— electricity hasn't been invented. the wait continues. —
Renaissance & Exploration
Centuries before GTA 6
1440
Printing Press Invented
Books can be mass-produced. Centuries later, Reddit threads about GTA 6 leaks will be too.
Invention
1492
Columbus Reaches the Americas
A new hemisphere "discovered." Miami, Vice City's inspiration, won't exist for 400 more years.
Exploration
1503
Mona Lisa Painted
Da Vinci's masterpiece. Took about 4 years. Rockstar took notes on how NOT to stick to timelines.
Art
1543
Copernicus: Earth Orbits the Sun
Revolutionary. The universe doesn't revolve around Rockstar's schedule. Though it feels like it.
Science
1564
Shakespeare Born
Will write 37 plays and 154 sonnets. Rockstar couldn't write one press release confirming GTA 6 for most of the 2010s.
Literature
1687
Newton's Laws of Gravity
Physics are understood. Game physics, however, need considerably more development time.
Science
Revolutions & Industry
Getting closer... but not that close
1776
American Independence
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The pursuit of GTA 6 was not yet constitutionally protected.
Revolution
1789
French Revolution
The people storm the Bastille. Gamers would later storm Rockstar's Twitter replies.
Revolution
1804
Napoleon Crowns Himself Emperor
Conquered most of Europe in a decade. Efficient.
War
1826
First Photograph Taken
8-hour exposure time. Still processed faster than GTA 6 footage.
Invention
1861–1865
American Civil War
620,000 die. The war lasts 4 years. Red Dead Redemption 2's setting starts to make sense.
War
1876
Telephone Invented
Bell makes the first call. If only he could call Rockstar for an update.
Invention
1879
Light Bulb Invented
Edison brings light to the world. The light at the end of the GTA 6 tunnel remains far away.
Invention
1886
First Automobile
Karl Benz builds the first car at 10 mph. In GTA you'd be doing 150 off a cliff within seconds.
Invention
— the 20th century approaches. video games do not exist. —
The 20th Century
Wars, moon landings, and the birth of gaming
1903
First Powered Flight
Wright Brothers fly for 12 seconds. Humanity goes from "can't fly" to "moon landing" faster than GTA 5 to GTA 6.
Aviation
1912
Titanic Sinks
The "unsinkable" ship sinks on its maiden voyage. Rockstar's hype, however, remains unsinkable.
Disaster
1914–1918
World War I
"The war to end all wars." 20 million dead. The world reshaped in 4 years.
World War
1920
Women's Suffrage (U.S.)
Half the population gets a voice. Everyone has a voice now — except GTA fans asking for a release date.
Rights
1928
Penicillin Discovered
Antibiotics will save hundreds of millions. Still no cure for hype sickness though.
Medicine
1939–1945
World War II
The deadliest conflict in history. 70–85 million dead. The world transformed in 6 years. Six. Years.
World War
1945
Atomic Bombs Dropped
The nuclear age begins. Humanity can destroy itself. Still can't play GTA 6.
Nuclear
1947
The Transistor Invented
The building block of all computers and eventually the PS5.
Technology
1953
DNA Structure Discovered
The code of life decoded. The code of GTA 6 remains a mystery.
Science
1955
Rosa Parks Refuses to Give Up Her Seat
A single act of defiance that helps ignite the Civil Rights Movement. Some waits change the world.
Civil Rights
1958
NASA Founded
They'll put a man on the moon in just 11 years. Rockstar could never.
Space
1963
JFK Assassinated
A moment that stuns the world. Conspiracy theories persist — much like GTA 6 release date theories.
History
1969
Moon Landing
Neil Armstrong walks on the moon. Humanity literally left the planet before GTA 6 came out.
Space
1972
Pong Released
Two paddles and a dot. The GTA 6 countdown technically begins.
Gaming
1977
Star Wars Released
Star Wars will get 3 trilogies, spin-offs, shows, and a theme park before GTA 6 comes out.
Movies
1983
The Internet Is Born
ARPANET adopts TCP/IP. It will later exist primarily to host GTA 6 speculation.
Technology
1985
Super Mario Bros. Released
Mario will star in 200+ games before GTA 6 comes out.
Gaming
1989
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Cold War ends. Walls come down — except the wall of silence around GTA 6's development.
History
1990
Hubble Telescope Launched
Can see the edge of the universe. Can't see GTA 6's release date from here.
Space
1991
World Wide Web Goes Public / USSR Collapses
A superpower dissolves and the internet is born — in the same year. The world shifts permanently.
History
1996
Dolly the Sheep Cloned
We can clone mammals. Rockstar can barely duplicate — wait, they're GREAT at re-releasing GTA V.
Science
— the internet exists. the leaks will begin soon. —
The GTA Era
It's all been leading to this
1997
Grand Theft Auto 1 Released
A top-down chaos simulator is born. DMA Design has no idea what they've started.
GTA
1998
Google Founded
The #1 search query in 2024? "GTA 6 release date."
Technology
1999
GTA 2 / Y2K Panic
The world panics that computers will crash. GTA 2 drops. 2-year gap. Simpler times.
GTA — 2 year gap
2001
GTA III Goes 3D / 9/11
GTA goes 3D and changes gaming forever. The same year, the world changes forever too. 2-year gap between GTA games.
GTA — 2 year gap
2002
GTA: Vice City
Miami in the '80s. Neon. Synthesizers. Tommy Vercetti. ONE year since GTA III. ONE YEAR.
GTA — 1 year gap
2004
GTA: San Andreas / Facebook Launches
One of the greatest games ever made + Zuckerberg starts Facebook. Both change the world. 2-year gap.
GTA — 2 year gap
2005
YouTube Launches
"Me at the zoo" is uploaded. YouTube will host billions of "GTA 6 CONFIRMED?!" videos with red circle thumbnails.
Technology
2007
iPhone Released
Everyone has a supercomputer in their pocket. Still can't play GTA 6 on it.
Technology
2008
GTA IV Released / Financial Crisis
Niko Bellic arrives as the world economy collapses. 4 years since San Andreas. Gaps getting longer...
GTA — 4 year gap
2009
Bitcoin Created
$1 in Bitcoin in 2009 = millions now. Could've bought a LOT of Shark Cards.
Technology
2011
Bin Laden Killed / Minecraft Released
A 10-year manhunt ends. A game made by one person becomes the best-seller ever. Both happened before GTA 6.
World Events
2012
Higgs Boson Discovered
The "God Particle" — confirming a theory from 1964. A 48-year wait. Amateurs.
Science
September 2013
GTA V Released
$1 billion in 3 days. Greatest entertainment launch in history. 5 years since GTA IV. This is the last mainline GTA for... a while.
GTA — 5 year gap (and counting...)
— GTA V is out. the wait for GTA VI begins NOW. —
The Long Wait
Everything after GTA V while we waited for GTA VI
2014
GTA V Re-Released on PS4/Xbox One
Instead of GTA 6, they just... sell GTA 5 again. The pattern begins.
Year 1 of waiting
2014
Ice Bucket Challenge Goes Viral
The entire internet dumps ice water on themselves. Remember when the internet was fun and innocent?
Year 1 of waiting
2015
GTA V Re-Re-Released on PC
Another platform. GTA Online prints money. Why make GTA 6?
Year 2 of waiting
2015
Gravitational Waves Detected
Einstein predicted this in 1915. A 100-year confirmation. Still less painful than the GTA 6 wait.
Year 2 of waiting
2016
Brexit. Trump. Cubs Win World Series.
Three impossible things happen. GTA 6 is not one of them.
Year 3 of waiting
2016
Pokémon GO Mania
People walk into traffic for Pokémon. Millions go outside for the first time. GTA fans keep waiting inside.
Year 3 of waiting
2017
Fortnite Launches
A free game earns $9 billion. An entire generation grows up on it during the GTA 6 wait.
Year 4 of waiting
2017
Nintendo Switch Released
Nintendo designs, builds, and ships an entire console. During the GTA 6 wait. Bold.
Year 4 of waiting
2018
Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar proves they can still make masterpieces. "We're working on GTA 6." Sure you are.
Year 5 of waiting
2019
First Photo of a Black Hole
We photograph a black hole 55 million light years away. Can't get a screenshot of GTA 6.
Year 6 of waiting
2019
Disney+ Launches / Streaming Wars Begin
Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Apple TV. An entire entertainment ecosystem is born, matures, and consolidates during the GTA wait.
Year 6 of waiting
March 2020
COVID-19 Shuts Down the World
The entire planet locks down. Everyone stays home. Perfect time to announce GTA 6. They don't.
Year 7 of waiting
2020
COVID Vaccines in Under a Year
Multiple vaccines go from concept to injection in ~11 months. Faster than one Rockstar dev cycle.
Year 7 of waiting
November 2020
PS5 and Xbox Series X Launch
A new console generation. GTA V was a PS3 game. PS3 → PS4 → PS5. Let that sink in.
Year 7 of waiting
2021
GTA V Re-Re-Re-Released on PS5
Third console generation for GTA V. This is real. This happened. We live in this timeline.
Year 8 of waiting
2021
Perseverance Lands on Mars
We put a helicopter on Mars. MARS. Before GTA 6.
Year 8 of waiting
2021
Squid Game Becomes Global Phenomenon
A Korean show about deadly games takes over the world. Gets 2 seasons. During the GTA 6 wait.
Year 8 of waiting
2022
Russia Invades Ukraine
The largest land war in Europe since WWII. The world is shaken.
Year 9 of waiting
2022
James Webb Telescope: Edge of the Universe
We see 13 billion years into the past. Still can't see GTA 6's release date.
Year 9 of waiting
September 2022
THE GTA 6 LEAK — 90+ Videos Stolen
A teenager hacks Rockstar and leaks dev footage. The world goes insane. Rockstar confirms GTA 6 exists. Only took 9 years.
THE LEAK
November 2022
ChatGPT Released
AI writes poems, passes the bar exam, builds websites. Can't make Rockstar release GTA 6 faster.
Year 9 of waiting
2023
Twitter Becomes X / Threads Launches
The social media landscape reshuffles. GTA 6 fans shitpost on every platform equally.
Year 10 of waiting
2023
Barbenheimer Takes Over the Box Office
Two wildly different movies unite the internet. Still not as unifying as the collective scream when the GTA 6 trailer drops.
Year 10 of waiting
2023
Baldur's Gate 3 Wins Everything
Larian Studios releases a masterpiece RPG. Development: 6 years. Shows it CAN be done, Rockstar.
Year 10 of waiting
December 4, 2023
GTA VI TRAILER 1 DROPS
93 million views in 24 hours. The most-viewed game trailer in history. Release window: 2025. Internet implodes. Grown adults weep.
Year 10 — TRAILER!
2024
Paris Olympics
Since GTA V launched, THREE Summer Olympics have been held. Tokyo, Paris, and by the time GTA 6 drops, LA 2028 might be announced.
Year 11 of waiting
2024
AI Generates Video From Text
Sora, Runway, Kling. AI makes photorealistic videos from text prompts. Entire movies might be AI-made before GTA 6 ships.
Year 11 of waiting
2024
SpaceX Catches a Rocket Mid-Air
A rocket returns from orbit and gets caught by giant mechanical arms. We're catching ROCKETS. From SPACE.
Year 11 of waiting
2024
GTA V Babies Are Now in Middle School
Kids born the day GTA V launched are 11 years old. They've never known a world with a new GTA game.
Year 11 of waiting
2024
Entire Marvel Infinity Saga Released During the Wait
23 MCU movies (Iron Man through Endgame) — all released in LESS time than GTA V to GTA VI. Twenty-three movies.
Year 11 of waiting
Early 2025
GTA VI Delayed to 2026
Rockstar pushes the date. Fans pretend to be shocked. "Rockstar time" is now a unit of measurement.
Year 12 of waiting
2025
Nintendo Switch 2 Announced
Nintendo designed, manufactured, and announced an entire next-gen console. During the GTA 6 wait.
Year 12 of waiting
2025
AI Agents Start Doing Real Work
AI can browse the web, write code, manage projects. One even built this very website. Still waiting on GTA 6 though.
Year 12 of waiting
2025
GTA V Has Been Sold for 12 Straight Years
Available across PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC. Over $8 billion earned. It could almost vote.
Year 12 of waiting
2025
Three U.S. Presidents Have Served Since GTA V
Obama → Trump → Biden → Trump again. The political landscape completely reshuffled. Twice. During one GTA gap.
Year 12 of waiting
2025
People Who Started High School When GTA V Came Out Are Now 27
They've graduated high school, gone to college, graduated college, gotten jobs, maybe married. All during the wait for ONE game.
Year 12 of waiting
2025
GTA VI Trailer 2 Still Hasn't Dropped
It's been well over a year since Trailer 1. The analysis of a single 90-second trailer has spawned more content than most game franchises.
Year 12 of waiting
2025
You Are Here. Scrolling This Website.
Right now. This exact moment. You scrolled through 13.8 billion years of history and you're still reading. That's commitment. That's what being a GTA fan is all about.
NOW
AND THEN, FINALLY...
GTA VI RELEASES (2026...probably...hopefully...please)
After 13.8 billion years of cosmic history. 4.5 billion years of Earth. The rise and fall of every civilization. The invention of fire, the wheel, electricity, flight, the internet, nuclear weapons, and artificial intelligence. Two world wars. A moon landing. Three console generations of GTA V re-releases. A global pandemic. An AI revolution. And one very, very long scroll...