Rockstar Games, through its parent company Take-Two Interactive, has officially announced that Grand Theft Auto VI is set for release in the Fall of 2025. This marks a significant milestone as it will be the first major entry in the Grand Theft Auto series in over ten years—an unprecedented gap between two game releases. Unsurprisingly, this news has ignited considerable enthusiasm among fans, with expectations high for robust sales performance upon launch.
However, the excitement surrounding GTA 6 has sent ripples of concern throughout the gaming industry. Recent reports indicate that several major game publishers are contemplating adjusting their release schedules to avoid competition with the blockbuster title.
Industry Publishers Hesitant to Launch Close to GTA 6
A report from The Game Business revealed a candid quote from a high-ranking executive at a major publisher, expressing the desire to steer clear of the Grand Theft Auto hype.
“Rockstar games always draw a lot of money and, more importantly, time out of the market. We don’t want to be anywhere near that. We are working up multiple different plans for our titles.”
This sentiment reflects an industry-wide hesitance; one senior executive shared that securing “free time for new games to shine”is increasingly challenging, even without the looming presence of GTA 6. The report also unveiled that a European executive from a Triple-A publisher feels apprehensive about launching their game just before or after the GTA 6 release window.
“We don’t want to launch just before or just after the game. If it arrives in late October, that means you either have to launch early – which a lot of people seem to be doing with the recent glut of summer release dates. Or go later, putting you up against the Black Friday sales.”
Additionally, an unnamed studio head characterized Rockstar’s upcoming title as a “huge meteor,”signaling intentions to delay or advance their own game releases by around three weeks to ensure they do not compete for attention with GTA 6.
“GTA 6 is basically a huge meteor and we will just stay clear of the blast zone. We will nudge our releases back or forward three weeks to avoid it.”
As of now, Rockstar has yet to confirm a specific launch date for GTA 6, with only the release window of Fall 2025 confirmed—this encompasses the months of September through November. Players keenly await the sequel, especially given the staggering performance of its predecessor, GTA 5, which garnered a remarkable $1 billion in sales within just three days of its release back in 2013. With the immense hype surrounding GTA 6, there’s a strong possibility it could achieve or even exceed similar commercial success.
While the competition is working diligently to navigate around GTA 6’s launch, some industry insiders view this as an opportunity for increased visibility across the gaming sphere. The full impact of Grand Theft Auto 6 remains to be seen, as fans continue to ponder when the next trailer will drop, following the speculation that arose from a recent Game Informer announcement.