After 13 long years of waiting, Rockstar Games fans are finally just months away from the debut of Grand Theft Auto VI. But for some, patience has worn thin and one developer has taken matters into his own hands. Frustrated by the prolonged wait, 25-year-old creator Ziwen Xu decided to build his own version of the highly anticipated title using artificial intelligence, only to discover that even cutting-edge technology comes with unexpected obstacles.

Xu, an AI enthusiast, began work on what he calls GT-Caliber, sharing his progress on social media over the past several days. From the outset, he leaned heavily on generative AI as his primary development tool.

However, despite the technology’s immense potential, Xu quickly discovered that crafting a game that even remotely resembles Rockstar’s blockbuster would be far more challenging than he initially anticipated.

Raul Bautista GTA VI

GT-Caliber, a GTA VI AI-Generated Clone

Over the past few weeks, the solo developer has been laboring on GT-Caliber, an ambitious project that aspires to capture a fraction of the grandeur expected from the official GTA VI. To tackle this monumental task, Xu subscribed to Claude Max 20x, one of Anthropic’s most expensive and comprehensive AI plans.

With its assistance, he managed to lay the game’s foundational code in just days, but progress soon hit a snag. He initially built the project using the Godot engine, only to have the community recommend a switch to a newer version of Unreal Engine. After testing several options, he ultimately settled on Unity.

By deploying multiple AI agents that work around the clock, Xu has been able to push the project forward at remarkable speed, even without direct human collaboration. The AI tools have helped him generate characters, buildings, and vehicles that borrow heavily from GTA VI’s signature visual style.

Within just three days, he had constructed eye-catching environments and populated them with interactive NPCs, alongside fully functional cars, weapons, and other gameplay elements.

Yet, the AI was not without its flaws. In a notable misstep, the system misinterpreted the game’s setting instead of recreating Miami, the real-world inspiration for Vice City, it generated a version of Los Angeles instead. Still, Rockstar fans have largely responded with enthusiasm, expressing amazement at how quickly GT-Caliber is evolving. Down below, you can check out a video of the project:

Did Rockstar Use AI to Develop GTA VI?

While artificial intelligence has become an industry mainstay, Rockstar Games has reportedly chosen to steer clear of the technology during GTA VI’s development. By avoiding AI, the studio appears intent on sidestepping the controversies that have dogged other studios and protecting the game’s commercial momentum.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has gone on record stating that AI, for all its utility, is incapable of producing titles on the scale of GTA VI. He acknowledges that the technology can be a helpful tool in game development but maintains that it lacks the creative vision needed to generate billion-dollar blockbusters.

According to Zelnick, human talent and a deep understanding of the entertainment industry remain irreplaceable, a stance that casts a skeptical eye on Xu’s AI-driven experiment.

For more updates on Grand Theft Auto VI, click here.