Overview of Grand Theft Auto 6’s Release Schedule
- Take-Two Interactive’s CEO announces delay of Grand Theft Auto 6 is “less than six months.”
- The new timeline suggests a shift from a late 2025 to a May 2026 release.
- Originally anticipated for Fall 2025, the game is now set to launch on May 26, 2026.
In a recent interview, Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Take-Two Interactive, shed some light on the Grand Theft Auto 6 delay, indicating that the revised launch window is “less than six months.”This statement gives fans a clearer picture that the game was likely aiming for a release in late November or early December of 2025. Although the revised date has now pushed the launch to May 26, 2026, Zelnick emphasizes that the delay is relatively brief.
The gaming community was taken aback in December 2023 when Rockstar Games unveiled the highly anticipated first trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6. Initially, the title was projected to debut in 2025; subsequently, Take-Two refined its release window to Fall 2025. However, following a prolonged silence from Rockstar—without any new images, footage, or updates—rumors circulated about a possible delay, which the studio confirmed earlier this month.
Short Delay for Grand Theft Auto 6
Though the announcement of the delay was disappointing for many, Zelnick reassured fans that it is a “short one.”In his discussions with CNBC (as revealed by @videotechuk_), he underscored that historically, Rockstar does not further postpone a set date. The impending release at the end of May 2026 suggests that the developers originally aimed for a late 2025 rollout.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick interviewed on CNBC: • "Rockstar Games are trying to create the best thing anyone’s ever seen in entertainment" • Asked if he played it, says he doesn’t play video-games but gives opinions (0:55) • Says delay is very little, only less than six… pic.twitter.com/vb9fc17zZq — ben (@videotechuk_) May 16, 2025
The delay has sparked apprehensions about the possibility of additional postponements as the revised May 2026 release approaches. Such concerns are not unfounded, considering Rockstar’s history of postponing titles—exemplified by Red Dead Redemption 2, which experienced multiple delays before its release on October 26, 2018. Nevertheless, Zelnick maintains that Rockstar usually adheres to their proposed launch dates, and with ample time remaining for development, fans remain hopeful that Grand Theft Auto 6 will not face further setbacks.
After over 500 days of limited information, and amidst speculation, Take-Two and Rockstar have started to lift the veil regarding the game’s development progress. Recently, Zelnick shared insights into the development timeline, stating that work on Grand Theft Auto 6 commenced “in earnest”in 2020. This phrase hints that preliminary development activities likely kicked off as early as 2018 or 2019, soon after the successful launch of Red Dead Redemption 2.