Lex Fridman Podcast
Lex Fridman Podcast

#484 – Dan Houser: GTA, Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar, Absurd & Future of Gaming

October 31, 2025 · 2 h 54 min

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Show notes

Dan Houser is co-founder of Rockstar Games and is a legendary creative mind behind Grand Theft Auto (GTA) and Red Dead Redemption series of video games.

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See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.

Transcript:

https://lexfridman.com/dan-houser-transcript

CONTACT LEX:

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EPISODE LINKS:

Absurd Adventures: https://absurdventures.com

A Better Paradise: https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0FCYSK8VD

American Caper: https://absurdventures.com/americancaper

SPONSORS:

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OUTLINE:

() – Introduction

() – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections

() – Greatest films of all time

() – Making video games

() – GTA 3

() – Open world video games

() – Character creation

() – Superintelligent AI in A Better Paradise

() – Can LLMs write video games?

() – Creating GTA 4 and GTA 5

() – Hard work and Rockstar’s culture of excellence

() – GTA 6

() – Red Dead Redemption 2

() – DLCs for GTA and Red Dead Redemption

() – Leaving Rockstar Games

() – Greatest game of all time

() – Life lessons from father

() – Mortality

() – Advice for young people

() – Future of video games

PODCAST LINKS:

– Podcast Website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast

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