GTA 6 behind the scenes: Schreier’s YouTube video details weapon-wheel tests, internal struggles and art-team growth

Jason Schreier released a YouTube video on October 20, 2026, revealing behind-the-scenes details from the development of Grand Theft Auto VI. His report covers experiments with the weapon wheel, internal development difficulties, extended Miami research and a substantial expansion of Rockstar’s art production team.

Schreier said Rockstar at one point considered removing the franchise’s iconic weapon wheel and trialled an entirely different weapon selection system before reverting to the classic wheel familiar to GTA players. He reported that some Rockstar developers and artists have worked on GTA 6 for over 11 years and that the studio conducted extensive research in Miami, which informed Leonida and Vice City. The video describes early design experiments that gradually shaped the project’s direction.

According to Schreier, the period from 2019 to 2022 was one of the toughest stretches of development as the team attempted to balance the highly realistic gameplay introduced in RDR2 with the faster, more accessible style associated with Grand Theft Auto. He said those creative disagreements slowed progress and led to some developers leaving the project. Schreier added that conditions began to improve around 2022 and 2023.

The report highlights a marked increase in art production resources for GTA 6 compared with GTA 5; Schreier said GTA 5 had around five to six artists working on certain production tasks, while GTA 6’s team expanded to reportedly 65 developers. He wrote that the larger team helped improve productivity and distribute workload more efficiently across production tasks.

Schreier’s account also notes changes to the game world’s presentation, saying Leonida features smaller streets and a heavier amount of traffic than GTA 5, which he described as contributing to a denser feel. The studio, he reported, put effort into refining the presentation of its newly released Extended Look video for Netflix, an idea attributed to Rockstar’s marketing head, Mark Adamson.

He further reported that some developers began work on GTA 6 more than 11 years ago, initially focusing on map creation and Miami research that later fed into the game’s setting and design choices.

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