When Rockstar first unveiled Grand Theft Auto VI, it was slated for a Fall 2025 release. Fans were understandably skeptical of course, given the company’s track record for pushing games back and the massive scope. It’s official now. Grand Theft Auto VI has been delayed to May 26, 2026.
Rockstar put out an official announcement on their site, stating that the developers need more time to work on the game, and to ensure that it can be delivered at the level of quality fans have come to expect from the studio.
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.
Rockstar
Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier also took to Bluesky to point out that the developers at Rockstar knew this delay was a long time coming. “Nobody I’ve talked to at Rockstar has believed Fall 2025 was a real window for a very long time now,” Schreier says. “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.”
Take-Two, who owns Rockstar, also put out a statement in support of the team’s decision to delay Grand Theft Auto VI. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick stated: “We fully support Rockstar Games taking additional time to realize their creative vision for Grand Theft Auto VI, which promises to be a groundbreaking, blockbuster entertainment experience that exceeds audience expectations.”
Rockstar and Take-Two’s commitment to avoiding crunch is certainly commendable. Red Dead Redemption 2, which released in 2018, received great critical acclaim, but was also notorious for having a brutal development cycle. The human cost of making such an ambitious game has been well-documented and reported on, so it’s understandable that the companies would try to avoid a similar situation with GTA VI.
Grand Theft Auto VI is set to be released on May 26, 2026.
