It looks like Rockstar might be testing GTA 6 code in Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar is working on GTA 6 – it's almost certain.

Now that the developer has wrapped up work on Red Dead Redemption 2, and released the PC port, it makes sense that at least a small percentage of the Rockstar Games studio has moved onto the next title in the GTA series.

Although Rockstar hasn't formally announced that the game is in the works, there are enough hints out there that the developer has begun putting the pieces together for the new sandbox game, including recently unearthed job listings referring to an ' unannounced triple-A title '.

We know that developers use their current games as sources for parts of their new ones, and already it looks like we could be seeing how Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA V will impact the final, released version of GTA 6 – especially if the sleuths over at GTAforums are to be believed.

Recently uncovered files reveal a series of 'vehicle flags' found in the code for Red Dead Redemption 2. What's strange about this is that there are no vehicles in Red Dead Redemption 2 – it's all horse-drawn carriages and steam boats.

So the files found in the game (you can see them all here ) may reference something else. Some fans are speculating that the code is just leftover from a GTA V project, but that wouldn't make sense… none of the vehicles listed in the code are in the latest GTA game.

If you go back in time a bit, you can see where Rockstar has done this before. In Max Payne 3, the studio trailed a couple of jets and planes that would eventually make it into GTA VI.

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So there's a precedent for Rockstar testing code and models in games before they actually come out. It's especially interesting since there are no drones in GTA V, and there is a specific mention of a drone in the files found in the Red Dead Redemption 2 metadata.

We've seen other open world sandbox titles like Watch Dogs 2 use drones to great effect in the game: whether they're supporting you in missions by giving you a bird's eye view, or used for a more robust photo mode, we're seeing drones used to great effect in games.

And we imagine Rockstar could push their functionality even further with its take on the tech.

We've seen a drone appear in GTA Online, but at the time of writing, there has been no single-player application of the tech.

Could Rockstar's unexplained code in Red Dead hint at more modern tech appearing in GTA VI? Maybe. But that would undermine rumours we keep hearing about the game being a retread of Vice City – meaning it'll be set in the 80s.

There's still nothing set in stone about GTA 6, but you can rest assured that we'll let you know the second anything gets announced.