Rockstar’s iconic Grand Theft Auto series has always had an extra level of flavour thanks to the multitude of highly curated radio stations you can switch through after a casual carjacking. Flooring it after a five-star wanted rating while bumping ‘Shook Ones II’ in Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, or driving to the top of a hill to the tunes of M83 ‘Midnight City’ in Grand Theft Auto V helped bring these worlds to life in a way that’s unmatched in the video game industry. Music is a key part of the Grand Theft Auto experience, so this recently leaked tidbit of info on the long-rumoured next game in the GTA series should be a welcome uptick to your day. What tidbit? Oh, just that Dr Dre is reportedly working on brand new music for Grand Theft Auto 6. And the prospect of having the legendary West Coast hitmaker banging out some new original music is really the first indication that Rockstar’s follow-up to Grand Theft Auto V actually exists.
The news was revealed by Snoop Dogg on an upcoming episode of Rolling Stones’ ‘Rolling Stone Music Now’ podcast who just casually said that his frequent collaborator is working on music that’s “connected to the GTA game that’s coming out”.
That’s, of course, not concrete confirmation that the “GTA game” Snoop refers to is actually Grand Theft Auto 6. Although it’d seem like a bit of a waste if Dre was to make original music for the forthcoming GTA remastered trilogy, which is arriving for current-generation console at the end of this year.
So let’s run on the assumption that the new Dr Dre music is in fact for Grand Theft Auto 6, the rumours for which have been swirling around online for the past few years now. This wouldn’t be the first time Dre’s voice has been heard in a GTA game – N.W.A.’s ‘Gangsta Gangsta’ was a key song on the West Coast Classic station for Grand Theft Auto V – nor will it be the first time exclusive music has debuted for the Rockstar franchise.
Mobb Deep’s ‘Dirty New Yorker’, Royce Da 5’9’s ‘I’m The King’, and Flying Lotus ‘Stonecutters’ have all made their debut in GTA games in the past, with Rockstar arguably pioneering the art of premiering new music in games – a trend that’s since been furthered by titles like NBA 2K22.
Dr Dre hasn’t released anything new and notable since 2015’s guest-heavy, cinematic Compton, which is now best remembered as the moment the world first heard of Anderson. Paak (who was featured on the song ‘Animals’).
Snoop, who has collaborated with Dre before on songs like ‘Nuthin’ But A G Thang’ and ‘Just Dippin’, also said that he should be appearing on the new tracks.
What Does This Mean For A Grand Theft Auto 6 Release Date?
If new Dre music doesn’t excite you, then the news should at least perk you up because it implies GTA 6 is closer than we thought. However, soundtracks can easily be edited and changed around so songs being recorded doesn’t necessarily mean we’re, say, within 12 months of a release date.
There are some prominent video game leakers who seem to think we won’t be seeing a new mainline Grand Theft Auto game until 2024 at the very earliest. Given Rockstar are about to upgrade and package Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, this would make at least some sense.
It’s been 8 years since Grand Theft Auto V (2013) was released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. This means that the mainline series skipped an entire generation, while Rockstar were working hard on 2018’s landmark Red Dead Redemption 2. Five years between major titles is a long time to wait for such an in-demand developer, but it shows us that Rockstar like taking their time while sprinkling remasters and repackages in between.
Given the pattern, it’s highly unlikely we’ll be seeing Grand Theft Auto 6 within the next year; it makes more sense that the forthcoming Grand Theft Auto trilogy remaster is to tide us over for a few years while we wait patiently for the real drop.
