Rockstar Games announced on Friday that Grand Theft Auto 6 has been delayed and will launch on May 26, 2026. The long-awaited game was announced in December 2023 and is expected to release in the fall of 2025, a window confirmed multiple times by Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive. While GTA 6 finally has a specific release date, the studio hasn’t shared a new trailer or gameplay screenshots. However, Rockstar promised fans that it will share more information about the game “soon.”
GTA 6 delays
“Grand Theft Auto VI is now set to release on May 26, 2026,” Rockstar said in GTA 6’s only official update since the game’s launch. “We are extremely sorry that this is later than you expected. The interest and excitement surrounding the new Grand Theft Auto is truly humbling for our entire team. We would like to thank you for your support and patience as we work to complete the game,” the developer said.
Rockstar says the additional development time is needed to ensure that GTA 6’s release meets the quality standards people expect from the studio. The delay will likely be used to further refine the game before its release on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X.
“With every game we release, our goal is always to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception. We hope you understand that we need these additional hours to deliver the level of quality you expect and deserve,” Rockstar said. “We look forward to sharing more information with you soon.”
What GTA 6 delays mean
This delay may disappoint fans who have been waiting for GTA 6 for years. When Rockstar released the game’s first trailer on December 5, 2023, it only confirmed that the game would launch in 2025. Take-Two later confirmed the fall 2025 release window during its quarterly earnings call, a timeline reiterated multiple times by Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick.
Recently, Zelnick said that Take-Two and Rockstar chose not to reveal GTA 6 release date information in advance in order to maintain anticipation for the release.
“The anticipation for this title is probably the greatest I’ve ever seen for the entertainment industry, and I’ve been around the block several times and I’ve been involved in all things entertainment. We want to keep that anticipation and excitement going,” Zelnick told Bloomberg earlier this year.
“We do have competitors that describe their release schedules years in advance, and we find that a better approach is to provide marketing materials relatively close to the release window in order to create excitement on the one hand and balance excitement with unmet expectations on the other. We don’t always get it completely right, but that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Now that GTA 6’s release date has been confirmed, many other games are set to launch by the end of 2025. Earlier this week, Gearbox announced it would move up Borderlands 4’s release by two weeks to September 12, sparking speculation that the studio was aware of Rockstar’s GTA release plans – not a far-fetched idea considering Gearbox is also owned by Take-Two Interactive.
Last week, Sony confirmed that its first-party action-adventure game Soul of the Rampant will launch on October 2. Now that Grand Theft Auto 6 is confirmed to launch in 2026, more games expected to launch this year may have firm release dates.
Rockstar’s delay history
Since Rockstar hasn’t made any official updates to the game, delays are always a possibility. Eager fans have been calling on the studio to release a second trailer for the game, but the studio has been tight-lipped about what to expect. Since its first trailer hit the internet 16 months ago, GTA 6 hasn’t received any official updates – no trailers, no screenshots, no story or gameplay details.
This delay isn’t surprising, considering Rockstar Games has also delayed the release of Grand Theft Auto games in the past. Grand Theft Auto V was originally slated for release in the second quarter of 2013, but was ultimately delayed to September 17, 2023. “Grand Theft Auto 4” was originally scheduled to be released on October 16, 2007, but due to difficulties in developing the PS3 game, it was postponed to April 29, 2028.
GTA 6’s delays have been so severe that the game has been pushed back several months from its fall 2025 release window. It will launch on PS5 and Xbox Series S/X on May 26, 2026. Rockstar will likely share more details and a second trailer for the game later this year.
