GTA 6 Delayed to 2026—Everyone Can Breathe (Or Panic) Accordingly

Rockstar Games has confirmed GTA 6 won’t be dropping this year after all – but they have announced a locked-in 2026 release date.

Well, it’s official: Grand Theft Auto VI won’t be pulling up in 2025 after all. Rockstar has just confirmed the long-rumoured delay, pushing what’s arguably the most hyped game in entertainment history to May 26, 2026.

In a statement posted to social media, Rockstar said:

“We are very sorry that this is later than you expected… 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.”

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No new GTA 6 trailer. No new screenshots. Not even a cheeky logo animation. Just a cold, hard delay and radio silence on which platforms it’s actually coming to—although PS5 and Xbox Series X|S are a lock, and a PC version feels inevitable.

The confirmation of a specific release date for GTA 6’s delay comes as a bit of a surprise, given many fans were expecting that second trailer to drop with a release date announcement. While some die-hard fans might be disappointed they won’t be able to chuck a sickie for the GTA 6 launch day later this year, at least a set date to plan around (and look forward to) is a solid consolation price.

This shuffle out of 2025 suddenly gives other developers a bit of breathing room. With Borderlands 4, a new Battlefield, Marathon, Ghost of Yotei, and the Nintendo Switch 2 all looming, you can bet there’s a collective sigh of relief echoing through dev studios worldwide. Some might even be tearing up their own launch calendars now that the 2026 behemoth has landed.

Rockstar’s boss at Take-Two, Strauss Zelnick, tried to play it cool a few months ago when asked if they’d actually hit the original (Northern hemisphere) Fall 2025 release target for GTA 6. His exact words? “As soon as you say words like ‘absolutely,’ you jinx things.”

Turns out he was right.

So now, it’s a waiting game for GTA 6 – again. For gamers, the countdown resets. For studios, it’s either a golden opportunity or a scheduling nightmare. And for Rockstar? It’s now officially time to deliver the most mind-blowing game the industry’s ever seen. No pressure.