- Rockstar’s Rob Nelson completed GTA 6 in about 80 hours during his playthrough.
- His time included the main story and optional objectives that could affect the narrative.
- Players who explore Leonida, complete side content and take their time could spend more than 80 hours in the game.
- GTA 6 could become Rockstar’s longest single player game, surpassing the campaign lengths of GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is shaping up to be an enormous game, and Rockstar Games may have given players a better idea of just how much time they will need to experience it.
According to comments from Rob Nelson, head of development and co studio head at Rockstar North, his own playthrough of GTA 6 took roughly 80 hours. That figure included the main story as well as some optional objectives that could have an impact on the narrative.
If that sounds like a lot for a single player campaign, it is. For comparison, Grand Theft Auto 5 generally takes around 30 hours to complete its story, while Red Dead Redemption 2 can take around 60 hours for its main storyline.
That would put GTA 6 comfortably ahead of both games in terms of campaign length.
There is an important detail here, though. Nelson did not say that every player should expect to spend exactly 80 hours completing the game. His playthrough included additional objectives with narrative consequences, meaning players who focus primarily on the main path could potentially finish sooner.
At the same time, anyone who wants to explore everything Rockstar has built could spend considerably longer in the world of GTA 6.
Optional objectives could make the story even bigger
One of the more interesting details is Nelson’s reference to optional goals that have narrative ramifications.
Rockstar has not explained exactly what these objectives involve, so it is too early to say how they will work. However, the description suggests that GTA 6 may offer more than traditional side missions that simply sit alongside the main campaign.
Some optional activities could influence characters, relationships or later events. That could encourage players to explore different parts of the story rather than rushing from one major mission to the next.
The relationship between Jason and Lucia is already expected to play an important role in the game. Rockstar has also indicated that their relationship can develop through player interaction and that nurturing their connection is optional.
That makes the idea of narrative consequences tied to optional content particularly interesting. Players may find themselves making decisions about how much time to spend with certain characters or which activities to pursue, with those choices potentially affecting what happens later.
It also means that two players could potentially have noticeably different experiences despite following the same broad story.
Vice City is built for more than the main story
The 80 hour figure could also be just the beginning for players who enjoy getting distracted by an open world.
GTA 6 returns players to Vice City and expands the setting into the wider Leonida region. Rockstar appears to be filling that world with activities, locations, characters and opportunities designed to make simply wandering around feel worthwhile.
Nelson described the experience as something players should be able to approach at their own pace. Rather than treating the world as a series of missions that players move through as quickly as possible, Rockstar wants players to explore, interact with people, make money and occasionally get into trouble.
That philosophy has always been a major part of Grand Theft Auto, but GTA 6 appears ready to push it further.
Players could spend time away from the campaign exploring the map, taking part in side activities, discovering locations or simply causing chaos in Vice City. Those distractions could easily push a typical playthrough well beyond the 80 hour mark.
For completionists, the total could be considerably higher.
The important distinction is that the reported 80 hours should not necessarily be treated as an official completion time. It is based on Nelson’s own experience and included optional content. Rockstar has not provided a definitive average playtime for the entire game.
GTA 6 is shaping up to be Rockstar’s biggest game
Even with that qualification, the comparison with Rockstar’s previous releases is striking.
GTA 5 offered a roughly 30 hour story, although players could spend hundreds of hours in its world when side activities and GTA Online were taken into account.
Red Dead Redemption 2 pushed the single player experience much further, with its main story taking around 50 to 60 hours depending on the player.
An 80 hour playthrough of GTA 6 would therefore represent a substantial increase over Rockstar’s previous open world campaigns.
That extra length also fits with what Rockstar has shown so far. The developer has revealed a much more detailed version of Vice City, alongside a large surrounding region and a story centered on Jason and Lucia.
There is still plenty that remains unknown, including exactly how the optional narrative objectives work and how much content will be available outside the main campaign.
For players who prefer shorter games, GTA 6 could sound intimidating. For fans who have spent years waiting for the next Grand Theft Auto, however, an enormous campaign and an even larger world may be exactly what they wanted.
GTA 6 is currently scheduled to launch on November 19 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. Rockstar has also confirmed that the game will target 30 frames per second on consoles at launch.
If Nelson’s playthrough is any indication, players may want to clear a significant amount of space in their schedules before returning to Vice City.
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