GTA 6 has officially been delayed, after all the speculation it might be and Rockstar sticking to that vague Fall release window for ages. It’ll now be dropping on May 26, 2026.
Yep, late 2025’s big behemoth now isn’t coming until next year, so we’ll all have to find something else to totally consume our lives and/or save the games industry in the interim.
“We are very sorry that this is later than you expected,” Rockstar wrote in a Newswire post announcing the delay, “The interest and excitement surrounding a new Grand Theft Auto has been truly humbling for our entire team. We want to thank you for your support and your patience as we work to finish the game.
“With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception. We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.
“We look forward to sharing more information with you soon.”
In a Bluesky post about the news, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier has reported some additional context, writing: “Nobody I’ve talked to at Rockstar has believed Fall 2025 was a real window for a very long time now. Too much work, not enough time, and what appears to be a real desire from management to avoid brutal crunch. GTA VI slipping to 2026 has seemed inevitable for months if not longer.”
As, I alluded to, prior to this Rockstar had been sticking to a Fall 2025 release window from the game, with Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick having reponded to IGN asking about the likelihood of the game making that window by saying: “Look, there’s always a risk of slippage and I think as soon as you say words like absolutely, you jinx things. So we feel really good about it.”
We’ll have to see what effect this date change has on the rest of the game’s industry’s release slate, given everyone had been scrambling to avoid having their new games blown away by Rockstar’s baby. “GTA 6 is basically a huge meteor and we will just stay clear of the blast zone,” one studio boss said of the situation in an interview with THe Game Business earlier this year, “We will nudge our releases back or forward three weeks to avoid it.
“Of course, the problem is everyone is going to do the same. So three to four weeks before or after GTA 6, you’re going to get a load of games dropping content in what they believe will be the safe zone.”
