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Rockstar Games

Video game developer · United States · Active

Rockstar Games

Founded in December 1998

12
games developed
51
games published
1
in development

History of Rockstar Games

Rockstar Games was set up in New York City in December 1998 as a label of Take-Two Interactive. Earlier that year Take-Two had bought the assets of British publisher BMG Interactive, including Grand Theft Auto, DMA Design's series whose first game (1997) BMG had published. Several BMG executives, among them Sam and Dan Houser and Jamie King, moved to New York and founded Rockstar with Terry Donovan, with Gary Foreman also among its founding members. It was formally announced on 22 January 1999.

Rockstar is mainly a publisher that groups studios under its own name and logo. The first was Rockstar Canada, now Rockstar Toronto, in 1999. In 2002 it added, among others, Rockstar North in Edinburgh, maker of Grand Theft Auto, and Rockstar San Diego, home of the Red Dead and Midnight Club series. Around the release of Grand Theft Auto III (2001) it turned down an offer for a film based on the series. Since 2006 it has used its own engine, RAGE, behind Grand Theft Auto IV, Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3.

Grand Theft Auto V came out in September 2013 and is the second best-selling video game of all time. In March 2014 BAFTA gave Rockstar its Academy Fellowship for creating layered interactive worlds. Red Dead Redemption 2 followed, along with the Rockstar Games Launcher for PC (2019), and Dan Houser left in March 2020. In 2022 a network intrusion leaked 90 videos from the development of Grand Theft Auto VI.

Sam Houser heads the company, which remains in New York and runs a motion capture studio in Bethpage. In recent years it has added Rockstar India, absorbing the Dhruva Interactive team (2019), Rockstar Dundee, formerly Ruffian Games (2020), the Cfx.re team behind FiveM and RedM (2023), and Rockstar Australia (2025). Its big project in progress is Grand Theft Auto VI.

Milestones

  1. 1998

    Take-Two buys BMG Interactive and Rockstar Games is born.

  2. 1999

    Formal launch; Rockstar Canada becomes its first studio.

  3. 2001

    Grand Theft Auto III.

  4. 2002

    Rockstar North and Rockstar San Diego join the group.

  5. 2006

    Its in-house RAGE engine arrives.

  6. 2013

    Grand Theft Auto V.

  7. 2014

    Receives the BAFTA Academy Fellowship.

  8. 2019

    Launches the Rockstar Games Launcher.

  9. 2025

    Buys Video Games Deluxe, renamed Rockstar Australia.

In development

Announced games with a future release date.

Its best-known games

  • Red Dead Redemption 2

    Red Dead Redemption 2

    2018 · Stadia · PS4 · PC

  • L.A. Noire

    L.A. Noire

    2017 · PS4 · XONE · Switch

  • Red Dead Redemption

    Red Dead Redemption

    2023 · Series X|S · PS4 · Switch 2

  • Red Dead Online

    Red Dead Online

    2019 · Stadia · Series X|S · PS4

  • Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare

    Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare

    2023 · Series X|S · PS4 · Switch 2

  • Bully: Anniversary Edition

    Bully: Anniversary Edition

    2016 · Android · iOS

  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

    Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

    2013 · PS3 · PS4

  • Max Payne Mobile

    Max Payne Mobile

    2012 · Android · iOS

  • L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files

    L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files

    2017 · PSVR · PC · Steam VR

  • Red Dead Redemption: Gunslingers

    Red Dead Redemption: Gunslingers

    2010 · browser

  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - 10th Anniversary Edition

    Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - 10th Anniversary Edition

    2012 · Android · iOS

  • Grand Theft Auto: iFruit

    Grand Theft Auto: iFruit

    2013 · Android · iOS · Vita

Every game it has developed (12)

2023

  • Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare Series X|S, PS4, Switch 2, Android
  • Red Dead Redemption Series X|S, PS4, Switch 2, Android

2019

  • Red Dead Online Stadia, Series X|S, PS4, PC

2018

2017

  • L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files PSVR, PC, Steam VR
  • L.A. Noire PS4, XONE, Switch

2016

  • Bully: Anniversary Edition Android, iOS

2013

  • Grand Theft Auto: iFruit Android, iOS, Vita
  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City PS3, PS4

2012

  • Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - 10th Anniversary Edition Android, iOS
  • Max Payne Mobile Android, iOS

2010

  • Red Dead Redemption: Gunslingers browser

Games it has published without developing them (51)