For the second time this year, Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) has been delayed. What was once a fall 2025 release was pushed back to May 26, 2026. Now, it’s been pushed again to November 19, 2026.
To contrast, GTA 5 was announced on October 25, 2011. The release date was set for Q2 2013, only to be delayed once for September 17, 2013.
To say fans are pissed would be an understatement. They’ve spent years hoping for another GTA game and they’re getting tired of waiting.
Publisher Take-Two’s CEO Strauss Zelnick says they need more time to “polish the title and make sure it can be the very best it can be.”
Podcaster Reece ‘Kiwi Talkz’ Reilly shared on X/Twitter that GTA 6 is “content complete” and that Rockstar was working to optimize the game to prevent a “Cyberpunk scenario”. Fair enough, but is there more than that?
The Game That’s Supposed to Save the Industry
The gaming industry is putting all their hopes and plans for the future on GTA 6. Players are falling out of love with blockbuster AAA games. A lot of them are moving away from consoles to embrace PC or mobile gaming. Some are taking a break from gaming or they’ve decided to buy less games. Studios have been hit with layoffs or closures for the past year.
Publishers, investors, and hardware makers are praying that GTA 6 will sweep in to be the industry’s savior. The game is expected to bring gamers back to consoles and boost sales. Some speculate that the release of GTA 6 will be timed with the launch of the next-gen console
The Legacy of GTA 5 and GTA Online
The expectations around GTA 6 are cultural too. When GTA V was released, it was a global event. It sold over 200 million copies and solidified gaming’s place in mainstream pop culture. It accounted for half of all U.S. game revenue at its release and up to 94% of first-week revenue in the UK.
With that kind of legacy, Rockstar is expected to reassert gaming’s relevance in an era where attention is splintered across social media.
The $100 Question
The gaming industry has been itching to raise prices from $60–70 to $80, maybe even $100. There’s been rumors that Take-Two would try to use GTA 6 to normalize a steeper price tag for video games. Some insiders have hinted that the game’s massive scope could justify a higher cost.
Still, most analysts agree that the best price for maximizing sales and revenue is still close to $70. They warn that selling a game for over $100, even one as hyped as GTA 6, could alienate even loyal fans.
Taking Time Because They Have To
So yeah, there’s a lot of pressure on Rockstar to get GTA 6 right the first time. I can’t fault them for delaying its release. They’re carrying an entire industry’s hopes on their shoulders. Every frame, every line of dialogue will be judged as an indication of where gaming is heading.
If GTA 6 lives up to its hype at launch, it could be game-changing. If it flops, it would be written off as a sign that AAA games have lost their allure. That the future of gaming belongs to smaller studios and indie games.
When GTA 6 is released, more than just the future of the franchise will be on the line.
