One GTA 6 playthrough took about 80 hours, Rob Nelson of Rockstar North told The New York Times. GTA 5's main story takes players about 32 hours.
GTA 6 takes about 80 hours to beat, going by the only figure from Rockstar so far. Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson told The New York Times that his own playthrough in February took that long, and that it covered the main story plus some optional goals that change how the story plays out.
That is one developer's run, not a length Rockstar has published, so we label it reported. Here is what the 80 hours includes, how it compares with GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, and what is still unknown about how long GTA 6 is.
What the 80 hours includes
- One full playthrough by Rob Nelson, finished in February 2026, according to The New York Times. IGN and VICE both reported the figure the same day.
- The main story and "some optional goals with narrative ramifications", in the words the Times reported. In other words, side objectives that feed back into Jason and Lucia's story, not every activity in Leonida.
- A developer who knows the game. VICE points out that the figure should not be read as an exact completion time for every player: people who stick to the story may finish faster, and anyone exploring everything will take longer.
VICE also reports Nelson saying the story is split into chapters, the same structure as Red Dead Redemption 2.
How GTA 6 compares with GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2
| Game | Main story | Story plus side content | Everything (100%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GTA 6 | Not announced | About 80 hours (one Rockstar playthrough) | Not announced |
| GTA 5 | About 32 hours | About 51.5 hours | About 89.5 hours |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | About 50.5 hours | About 84.5 hours | About 195 hours |
GTA 6: Rob Nelson to The New York Times, reported by IGN and VICE. GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2: HowLongToBeat player averages, checked October 6, 2026.
Our take: the 80 hours belongs in the middle column, because it mixes story and optional goals. That puts GTA 6 close to Red Dead Redemption 2 played with side content, and well past GTA 5 by any measure.
GTA 6 is a single-player game at launch, which the PlayStation Store states outright, so the story is the whole game on day one. There is no new GTA Online to add hours yet; see is GTA 6 single-player.
What is still unknown
- How long the main story takes on its own.
- How many chapters and missions there are.
- How long it takes to finish everything (100%).
We will time the story after the November 19 launch and put real numbers in the table above.
Questions people ask
How long is GTA 6?
About 80 hours, going by the one figure from Rockstar so far: Rob Nelson of Rockstar North told The New York Times his playthrough took that long, including some optional story goals. Rockstar has not published a length of its own.
How long is the GTA 6 main story on its own?
Not announced. The 80 hours includes optional goals, and nobody outside Rockstar has timed the story yet. We will add real times after the November 19 launch.
Is GTA 6 longer than GTA 5?
Very likely. HowLongToBeat players average about 32 hours for GTA 5's main story and 51.5 hours with side content, well short of the 80 hours Rockstar's Rob Nelson reported for GTA 6.
Is GTA 6 longer than Red Dead Redemption 2?
About the same, on what we know. HowLongToBeat players average 50.5 hours for RDR2's main story and 84.5 hours with side content; GTA 6's 80 hours also mixes story and optional goals.
How many missions are in GTA 6?
Rockstar has not said. Rob Nelson has said the story is split into chapters, like Red Dead Redemption 2, but not how many chapters or missions there are.
How long does it take to 100% GTA 6?
Unknown until launch. For scale, HowLongToBeat players average 89.5 hours to finish everything in GTA 5 and 195 hours in Red Dead Redemption 2.
Sources
- The Grand Ambitions of Grand Theft Auto VI (The New York Times) (Aug 27, 2026)
- Grand Theft Auto 6 Playthroughs Can Last 80 Hours (IGN) (Aug 27, 2026)
- GTA 6 Takes Around 80 Hours to Complete, Rockstar Reveals (VICE) (Aug 27, 2026)
- Grand Theft Auto VI (PlayStation Store, US listing: a single-player experience) (Oct 6, 2026)
- How long is Grand Theft Auto V? (HowLongToBeat player averages) (Oct 6, 2026)
- How long is Red Dead Redemption 2? (HowLongToBeat player averages) (Oct 6, 2026)
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