Ziwen Xu stated he will buy a PS5 to stream the official release after his ai GTA 6 clone project ended. The effort started in June with multiple agents on a blank map and reached a working menu before legal notices arrived in August. The developer then rebuilt everything as an original game called CALI.
Ziwen Xu began the effort in June when he set multiple AI agents to work on a blank map. Daily posts recorded each stage from terrain creation to driving systems and a functional menu that booted like a full release. The original goal was completion ahead of the November 19 window for the official game.
Community feedback led to an engine switch from Godot to Unreal during the first tests. Basic loops for driving and shooting appeared within weeks after the switch. Solo progress advanced faster than earlier attempts that lacked agent assistance.
A blank map turned into terrain and then a full menu within weeks of the June start. Each daily post showed new driving and shooting systems added by the agents. The pace exceeded prior solo projects that had no agent support.
Xu removed every GTA element from the project in August after legal notices arrived. The new title CALI retained none of the original assets or characters from the prior build. Rockstar kept full control over all GTA trademarks and world details throughout the process.
AI output placed Los Angeles style towers into the map despite repeated instructions for a Florida setting. The intended Miami atmosphere never appeared in any version of the build. All characters became original creations that carried no borrowed likenesses from the source material.
The August notices required removal of every borrowed asset and character from the prior version. CALI kept none of the GTA trademarks or world elements after the change. Rockstar maintained ownership of all core details during the shift to new work.
Scaling the world to larger sizes reduced performance to one frame per second. Additional agent tools were added to address the slowdown yet produced no improvement. The solo scope proved larger than the agent system could sustain at full size.
GTA 6 required 13 years at a dedicated studio plus over 600000 unique NPC animations. More than 50 street artists created the murals while race drivers tuned handling. Digital Foundry noted the handcrafted result as the most impressive real time rendering seen to date.
World expansion caused the frame rate to fall to one frame per second during tests. New agent tools were added to fix the issue but produced no gain in speed. The full scope exceeded what the agent system could handle at larger sizes.
The table below shows key differences between the two approaches. Real game marketing continues with Netflix sign ups and console sales. AI output stayed at prototype stage only.
| Aspect | AI Project | GTA 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Timeline | Months | 13 years |
| Output | Prototype with 1 fps issues | Handcrafted with 600000 animations |
| Creativity | Prompt limited | Original world decisions |
The table shows the AI project reached only a low performance stage while the real game advanced through years of hand work. Marketing for the official title continues across multiple platforms. Observers can now track both efforts separately.
AI imitates buildings but cannot assign emotional purpose to locations. Human teams decide placement and mood for each area. This gap explains why the clone stayed incomplete after months of work.
Xu plans to buy a PS5 and stream the official release. CALI development continues as an original project. Future AI attempts face the same originality barrier that ended the clone effort.
The phases moved the project from rapid AI tests to an original build after legal and technical issues appeared. CALI now focuses on independent development without any borrowed elements. Observers track the new title separately from the official release.
The list shows the move from agent tests to an engine change and then the August rebuild. Each step built on the last until the focus shifted to original work. CALI now receives the main development effort after the clone attempt ended.
Sources: Rockstar Games (official), Wikipedia: GTA VI. More in our rumors and leaks section.
CALI uses entirely new characters and locations created from scratch after the August rebuild. The process removed every borrowed element once legal notices arrived. Ownership of core GTA elements stayed with Rockstar throughout the entire effort and the shift to original work.
Netflix sign ups and console sales campaigns began after the first trailer appeared. These efforts continue without any AI involvement in the process. The handcrafted approach supports the current promotion schedule across multiple platforms and regions.
Extra AI agents were added to fix the one frame per second drop after expansion. The tools could not scale the world without further loss of speed. Solo scope remained beyond agent capacity after the world grew larger in size.
More than 50 real street artists painted the murals in GTA 6. Their work formed part of the 600000 unique NPC animations created over 13 years. No generative tools entered the final process at any stage of development.
Xu decided to purchase a PS5 for streaming the release of the official game. CALI continues as an original project without further cloning attempts. Future AI work faces the same originality limits that ended the earlier effort.
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