The highly awaited sequel to the groundbreaking Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series is underway, Rockstar Games announced Friday.

"Many of you have been asking about a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series," the Take2-owned company said in a tweet.

"With every new project, our goal is always to significantly move beyond what we've previously delivered," it added.

"We're pleased to confirm that active development for the next entry in the series is underway."

The GTA and Red Dead Redemption maker also said that more information regarding the upcoming game will be shared with the public soon.

"We look forward to sharing more as soon as we are ready, so please stay tuned to the Rockstar Newswire for official details," it said.

"On behalf of our entire team, we thank you all for your support and cannot wait to step into the future with you!"

GTA fans around the world have been waiting for years for the release of a proper sequel, but considering the GTA series' usual attention to detail and immense depth, the nine-year absence of a completely new title can be considered acceptable.

With the GTA V becoming the highest-grossing entertainment product ever since its release in 2013, the game still looks and feels modern through constant updates and enhancements.

Nevertheless, many fans have been frustrated for playing the same game for the ninth year in a row, despite being remastered two times spanning across three console generations.

As Rockstar Games makes astronomical profits off in-game purchases such as Shark Cards in GTA Online, which is based on and has come bundled with the GTA V despite the fact that it is getting a standalone release in March, some speculated that the company may never even release a new GTA title and just continue updating GTA V and Online.

Nevertheless, after Rockstar's job postings, it was clear that at least some game was in development but it was never officially admitted that the game being worked on is a sequel to the GTA series.

In April 2021, a seemingly credible leaker has published some alleged insider information regarding GTA 6.

The anonymous leaker who surfaced on imageboard 4chan, which suspiciously took down the post despite being well-known as an "anything goes" kind of website, said that the main story is about 60 hours long, an incredible amount of time even for a triple-A title, and that the online functionality of the game will be available months after its release.

The plot is said to be "the best ever" featured in a GTA game, yet not as emotional as RDR2. The gameplay map is also supposedly smaller, but more dense and populated.

Responding to a skeptical user who asked the 4chan user to leak something very specific about the game, they said: "You meet Ken Rosenberg and he mentions Tommy Vercetti several times although you never actually meet Tommy," referring to the protagonist of GTA Vice City (GTA universe equivalent of real-life Miami), which is where the same fictional city the upcoming sequel is rumored to be set. They also add that artificial intelligence elements have been improved a lot, and "You may see NPCs beeping their horn and driving aggressively around other drivers because they're late for work."

According to the leaker, the fictional Scottish heavy metal band that prominently featured in GTA Vice City, the Love Fist also appears in main and side missions. The mechanics have vastly improved as direct contact with explosions can blow off limbs, and it is possible to "leave deep cuts on people with a machete" and close combat shooting "can result in bone fragmentation."

Typical of Rockstar's past release patterns, the game will first be launched on consoles and PC players will have to wait a bit before getting their hands on it, according to the leaker. The game's loading times are incredibly fast, which is attributed to the SSD structure in the PlayStation 5, and it will also use the beloved haptic feedback of the DualSense controller.

Features that gamers have longed for since GTA San Andreas are making a comeback, according to the leaker. Soon you will have the option to customize your character's body type and non-playable characters (NPCs) will also comment on your fashion choices. Rockstar floated the idea of having a female protagonist but scrapped the plan as "it doesn’t fit with the GTA narrative."

The leaker also said that the protagonist, who will be 34 by the end of the game, will be a white male of Italian ancestry with jet black hair, roughly 185 cm (6'1") in height, with a "sun-kissed" tan.

Describing the storms and weather effects in the sequel as "genuinely insane," the leaker says the game has also improved car customization options. As cars, clothes and even hairstyles change with time, older cars will become less relevant as time progresses and NPCs may even mock older vehicles, according to the leak.

Previous rumors about an alleged character called "The Mexican" have also been addressed, and it turns out he is a very wealthy man who peddles cocaine.

There will also be "a mafia" in the game but the leaker did not elaborate any further. Similar to GTA San Andreas, gamers will go to Liberty City (the GTA series equivalent of New York City – where the mob is strong) for certain missions.