Former Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser explained in a conversation with Lex Fridman that the secret is that each installment feels different. According to him, the team was never in a hurry with releases, but instead tried to develop the franchise from within.
"I think we've done a great job of constantly innovating the very core of our IP. The games have always been different, you know, people have very strong emotions. 'I like this, and I don't like that very much.' Because they are quite different."
He added that Rockstar never deviated from the essence — the player still plays as a criminal in a huge world, but the approach to this has constantly changed.
"It's Grand Theft Auto, you know, it's going to be a game about a criminal, but how that's going to happen is going to change a lot. So, I think the way that IP has evolved has made it very appealing to people."
According to Houser, the approach to marketing was also of great importance:
"We really tried to promote them in a way that felt like an updated version of classic film marketing, where you really feel like you're already part of the product, just because you've seen the trailers and stuff."
Grand Theft Auto 6 will be released on May 26, 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. This is the first installment in the series without Houser's participation in the script and character creation.