New rumors suggest that the next installment in the "Grand Theft Auto" franchise may hit the market sometime between 2018 and 2020. In addition, fans of the action-adventure series are speculating that the upcoming game might feature a massive map featuring all of the United States, according to Master Herald.

The latest title from the series, namely "Grand Theft Auto 5," came out in 2013 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. A year later, the game debuted for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. It then became available for the PC in April this year.

Although some gamers might be expecting to see a new "Grand Theft Auto" game next year, CEO Strauss Zelnick of publishing company Take-Two Interactive recently clarified that the company does not release certain titles on a yearly basis.

According to the executive, action games like "Grand Theft Auto" and "Red Dead Redemption" do not get annual releases in order to build up the demand for their sequels, Express reported.

"The market asks us, 'Why don't you annualize your titles?'" he said during the MKM Partners Investor Day event held in New York City. "We think with the non-sport titles, we are better served to create anticipation and demand."

Since "Grand Theft Auto 4" came out in 2008, this means it took at least five years before Take-Two Interactive and its subsidiary Rockstar Games released "Grand Theft Auto 5" for last-gen platforms. Based on this timeline and Zelnick's statements, then "Grand Theft Auto 6" could launch around three to five years from now.

As for the gameplay factors that players can expect to see in the upcoming installment, speculations about the game indicate that it might feature a map of the entire United States, Neurogadget reported. According to rumors, players will be able to travel across the various states either through their vehicles or the new teleportation ability.

But despite all the leaked details surrounding "Grand Theft Auto 6," its developer Rockstar Games and distributor Take-Two Interactive have not yet released official information regarding the upcoming game's development. This means that for now, these details are only classified as rumors and speculations.