Rockstar delays GTA VI to May 26, 2026

Grand Theft Auto VI would not make its fall 2025 window. On May 2, 2025, Rockstar Games announced a new release date of May 26, 2026, and Take-Two confirmed it the same day in a release filed with the SEC.

This was the game's first delay, and it was not the last. In November 2025 the date moved again, to November 19, 2026 (our report), which is the release date today. What follows is the May 2025 announcement as it stood then.

What it meant for players

The headline change was simple: a launch planned for autumn 2025 slid into late spring 2026. There was one small upside. In February, Take-Two had offered only a season, so this was the first time fans had an actual day to plan around.

Nothing else about the release changed. Take-Two's product tables before and after the delay list the same two platforms, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Fans did not have to wait long for something new to watch. Four days later, on May 6, Rockstar released Trailer 2 along with a large batch of screenshots (our report). The timeline puts all of these dates in order.

Rockstar's explanation

Rockstar's message to players was short and apologetic. "We are very sorry that this is later than you expected," the studio wrote, according to VGC's report of the statement. It thanked fans for their patience, said the level of interest had humbled the team, and gave one reason for the move: "We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve."

The statement did not say how much work was left, and it offered no new details about the game itself beyond a promise to share more soon.

Take-Two backs the move

Take-Two's same-day release put the publisher squarely behind the decision. "We support fully Rockstar Games taking additional time to realize their creative vision for Grand Theft Auto VI," said chief executive Strauss Zelnick.

The new date falls in Take-Two's fiscal year 2027, which begins in April 2026. Even so, the company kept its forecast that net bookings would rise to record levels in both fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027, VGC noted. Full-year results were scheduled for May 15, 2025.

Was it a surprise?

On paper, yes. Three months earlier, Take-Two's February earnings release still listed the game for fall 2025. Zelnick had hedged at the time, though: speaking to IGN, he acknowledged there was "always a risk of slippage," as CGMagazine reported.

Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier went further on the day of the delay. In a Bluesky post, he said his contacts at Rockstar had long doubted that fall 2025 was realistic, and pointed to "Too much work, not enough time, and what appears to be a real desire from management to avoid brutal crunch," VGC reported. That is his reporting from his own sources, not a statement from Rockstar, which gave only quality as its reason.