Don’t Pre-Order GTA 6. Here’s the Math on 80 Hours

Rockstar dropped 26 minutes of Grand Theft Auto VI last night and it looks absurd. I watched the whole thing twice. Then I read the interviews that went up alongside it, hit one number, and closed my pre-order tab. The number is 80. Rob Nelson, co-studio head at Rockstar North, told The New York Times that his most recent playthrough took him around 80 hours. That run covered the main story plus some optional goals with narrative ramifications. Those are his words, from February, on a near-final build. Every outlet ran that stat as good news. Look how much game you’re getting. Book the week off. I think it’s the strongest argument going for not buying this on November 19. What 80 Hours Actually Means Two things about that figure before anyone panics. First, it isn’t the critical path alone. Nelson’s run included side content that feeds back into the story, and nobody has said how much of the 80 came from extras. Second, the guy who helped build Leonida is not going to get lost in it. A first-timer who stops to look at things will take longer, not less. So treat 80 as directional. This is the longest game Rockstar has ever made by a wide margin. GTA 5, the current series record holder, runs about 32 hours…