A new note from investment bank Citi has kicked off discussion around Rockstar’s future roadmap. According to the analyst report, launching the next Red Dead title by 2027 or 2028 “may not be unreasonable.” While the financial model makes sense on paper, anyone familiar with Rockstar’s development history knows this timeline is almost certainly not going to happen.

The bank’s argument hinges on development budgeting. If GTA 6’s final production costs end up lower than the widely cited $1.5 billion figure, Take-Two and Rockstar would have leftover capital to fund another massive open-world project. Under that specific financial scenario, a new Red Dead entry arriving within the next few years becomes theoretically possible. But this is purely a financial projection, not insider information from Rockstar.

Rockstar does not rush flagship releases. Look at the gaps between its major games. Red Dead Redemption launched in 2010, GTA 5 arrived in 2013, and Red Dead Redemption 2 didn’t release until 2018. The studio spends years polishing every detail, building huge open worlds, motion capture, writing, testing, and refining gameplay systems. Even after GTA 6 ships, the team will still be supporting its online mode, fixing bugs, and delivering post-launch content.

That leaves very little bandwidth to immediately pivot into finishing another blockbuster western game in just a couple of years. Big Rockstar projects take much longer than most players and investors expect.

It’s also important to separate financial speculation from official plans. Rockstar has not announced anything about a new Red Dead game. There’s no trailer, no leaked gameplay, no confirmed team working on it. This prediction comes from analysts modeling stock performance and revenue, not from inside knowledge of the studio’s schedule.

We would all love to ride back into a new Red Dead world sooner rather than later. But hoping for a full release by 2027 or 2028 ignores how slow and deliberate Rockstar’s development cycle truly is. The bank’s math may look fine on a spreadsheet, but game development rarely follows investor timelines.

For now, treat this prediction as nothing more than interesting financial chatter. Don’t hold your breath for a new Red Dead game before the end of the decade.

What do you think? Could Rockstar really ship the next Red Dead by 2028, or is this analyst estimate far too optimistic? Drop your thoughts below.