The wait for Grand Theft Auto 6 has been so long that even former Rockstar staff are looking at the calendar and going, “Yeah… something big had to happen.” In a recent Kiwi Talkz interview, ex-Rockstar audio designer/engineer Rob Carr said he’d be “incredibly surprised” if GTA 6 doesn’t pull systems forward from past Rockstar games—especially Red Dead Redemption 2—and he also floated a tantalizing possibility: Rockstar North has “probably rebuilt the entirety” of the RAGE engine for the new blockbuster.
That combination matters because it frames what GTA 6 could be aiming for: not just a bigger map and prettier lighting, but a deeper, more systemic open world—one that takes the studio’s most ambitious simulation ideas from RDR2 and retools them for a modern crime epic launching November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
What Carr Actually Said — and Why It Rings True for Rockstar
Carr isn’t claiming insider knowledge of GTA 6’s current build. In fact, he’s explicit that he’s “coming in blind” and has “zero experience” with what the team is doing now. But his perspective is still valuable because he’s worked on GTA 5, L.A. Noire, and both Red Dead Redemption games—meaning he understands Rockstar’s habits, its tech evolution, and how the studio historically iterates.
His core point is simple: Rockstar rarely throws away good ideas. It refines them, recontextualizes them, and then uses the next mega-release to make those mechanics feel inevitable in hindsight.
Carr pointed to a concrete example: GTA 5 already borrowed from Red Dead Redemption by adapting the Dead Eye concept into character-specific abilities. In his breakdown, Michael effectively gets a Dead Eye-style perk, Franklin gets a slow-motion driving ability, and Trevor gets a berserker-like mode. That’s Rockstar’s playbook in action—take a proven mechanic, reshape it to fit a new genre fantasy, and then build mission design around it.
So when Carr says he’d be “incredibly surprised” if GTA 6 doesn’t “use something from Red Dead 2,” he’s not predicting a specific feature so much as calling the studio’s shot: Rockstar iterates, and RDR2 is too rich a systems sandbox to ignore.
Which Red Dead Redemption 2 Systems Could Fit GTA 6?
Here’s where the conversation gets spicy—and also where it’s important to keep expectations grounded. Carr doesn’t name a checklist of confirmed mechanics. He’s talking about likelihood and precedent, not revealing a feature list.
Still, the kinds of systems people keep circling make sense, because RDR2 wasn’t just a story-driven open world—it was a dense web of interlocking simulation ideas. Some of those could translate cleanly into a modern Grand Theft Auto setting if Rockstar wants GTA 6 to feel more reactive and immersive than GTA 5.
Carr’s comments also line up with the broader fan speculation that GTA 6 could incorporate older Rockstar mechanics and push them further thanks to modern hardware and tech advances since GTA 5 and RDR2.
A few examples that have been floated in the wider conversation:
- Honor / morality-style systems: People have argued that an honor system like RDR2 could benefit GTA 6. Whether Rockstar would literally call it “honor” in a crime game is another question—but the underlying idea (NPC reactions, law enforcement pressure, faction relationships, story consequences) is absolutely adaptable.
- Camps and “home base” progression: RDR2’s camp wasn’t just a menu hub; it was a character engine. A modern equivalent in GTA 6 could be safehouses, crew hangouts, or a shared space that evolves with the story.
- Weapon maintenance / systemic friction: One of RDR2’s boldest design choices was adding upkeep—cleaning guns, managing condition, and leaning into realism. Whether GTA 6 would embrace that level of friction is unknown, but even a lighter version could deepen the fantasy of living in the world rather than just driving through it.
None of this is confirmed. But the larger point is: GTA 6 doesn’t need to become “Red Dead with cars” to benefit from RDR2’s design philosophy. It can cherry-pick the parts that make a world feel observant—the sense that the game is tracking what you do, how you behave, and what kind of chaos you leave behind.
The Bigger Bombshell: Did Rockstar “Probably Rebuild” the RAGE Engine?
Carr’s other major speculation is the kind that makes tech-minded fans sit up straight: he believes Rockstar has “probably rebuilt the entirety of the Rage Engine,” and says that’s the one thing he can state with “real, genuine confidence”—not because he has inside info, but because the timeline and tech leaps make it feel inevitable.
His reasoning is blunt and hard to argue with: the “architecture of technology has advanced significantly since GTA 5,” and it’s easy to forget just how old that foundation is. GTA 5 originally shipped on Xbox 360 and PS3, then lived an entire second (and third) life across console generations—helped massively by GTA Online’s longevity.
If GTA 6 is meant to be Rockstar’s next platform game—the kind of release that defines a generation and then persists—then a major engine overhaul (or full rebuild) would be a logical investment.
And it dovetails with other chatter orbiting the game’s tech ambitions. There’s been talk of “next generation procedural breaking glass,” plus rumors around realistic weather and real-time physically simulated water. Those are exactly the kinds of features that can demand deep engine work, not just prettier assets.
To be clear: Rockstar hasn’t confirmed an engine rebuild. Carr is speculating. But it’s the kind of speculation that fits the scale of what Rockstar is attempting—and the sheer amount of time it has taken to get there.
Release Date, Platforms, and What Rockstar Has (and Hasn’t) Said
Grand Theft Auto 6 is currently slated to launch November 19, 2026 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. No PC version has been officially announced.
Rockstar is also still playing things close to the chest. With the release date approaching and marketing expected to begin this summer, it feels like we’re nearing the point where the studio has to start answering the big questions: what the moment-to-moment gameplay loop looks like, how deep the simulation goes, and what—if anything—has been carried forward from GTA 5, GTA Online, and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Until then, Carr’s comments land in that sweet spot of credible-but-not-confirmed: a veteran voice describing how Rockstar tends to operate, and why it would be strange for the studio not to reuse and evolve its best systems.
A Side Note: Jack Black Wants a Red Dead Redemption Movie — and Even a Role in RDR3
While the GTA 6 conversation is focused on mechanics and engine tech, Red Dead has also popped up in a very different context this week: actor Jack Black has been publicly campaigning to get involved with the franchise.
Black called it a “shame” that Rockstar isn’t making a Red Dead Redemption movie, arguing the games are “the most cinematic” and that it would be “too easy” to adapt them into great films. He even joked, “Hey Housers? Dan, Sam, I’m waiting for your call.”
Black also floated an even wilder idea: if Red Dead Redemption 3 ever happens (Rockstar hasn’t announced it), he’d like to play a character named Jack Black—referencing a real-life figure who wrote an autobiography titled You Can’t Win.
It’s not directly tied to GTA 6, but it underlines something important: Red Dead Redemption 2 has become Rockstar’s prestige benchmark for immersion and cinematic presentation. That’s exactly why fans (and former devs) keep assuming its DNA will show up in GTA 6—because Rockstar’s last single-player epic set a standard the studio is now expected to meet or surpass.
What Remains Unknown
- Which specific Red Dead Redemption 2 mechanics (if any) will appear in GTA 6—and how heavily they’ll be adapted for a modern setting.
- Whether Rockstar actually rebuilt the RAGE engine for GTA 6, or if the team instead delivered a major overhaul within the existing framework.
- How much GTA 6 will pull forward from GTA Online systems beyond whatever multiplayer component Rockstar plans.
- When Rockstar will next show GTA 6 gameplay in detail, and what the marketing rollout will look like ahead of the November 19 launch.
- Whether Rockstar has any official plans for Red Dead Redemption 3 or any film/TV adaptation of the Red Dead franchise.
