GTA 6 release date announced and it’s the worst news possible

Despite all the promises from Take-Two, Rockstar Games has just announced the release date of GTA 6… and it’s been delayed until next year.

Considering it’s well over a year since the first trailer, and developer Rockstar has said nothing about the game since then, everything has pointed towards GTA 6 being delayed from this year until 2026.

Owners Take-Two have repeatedly insisted that’s not what’s happening but now everyone has been forced to admit the truth: GTA 6 is not coming out in 2025, in fact it won’t be out until more than a year from now.

The news was announced on X and via Rockstar’s website but no real explanation for the delay has been given. ‘With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto 6 is no exception. We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve,’ is all they’ve said.

What is the release date of GTA 6?

Brace yourself, but the release date for GTA 6 is… May 26, 2026. That is pretty much the worst case scenario in terms of delays and much later than any expected, especially as everything seemed to be pointing towards a late September or early October launch.

Almost all of Rockstar’s games get delayed though, so it’s only Take-Two’s previous comments that make this anything close to a surprise.

Considering how much money Rockstar make from GTA 6 and Red Dead Redemption 2 it shouldn’t really cause them any problems, although Take-Two’s share price is sure to take a hit anyway.

Update: ‘We support fully Rockstar Games taking additional time to realise their creative vision for Grand Theft Auto 6, which promises to be a ground-breaking, blockbuster entertainment experience that exceeds audience expectations,’ said Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick in statement.

‘While we take the movement of our titles seriously and appreciate the vast and deep global anticipation for Grand Theft Auto 6, we remain steadfast in our commitment to excellence.’

Although fans are going to be very upset this will please other publishers, many of which were preparing to delay their autumn titles into next year, simply to get out of the way of GTA 6. It also makes the reverse delay of Borderlands 4 seem even more perplexing and pointless.

Nintendo is also likely to be pleased, as this gives them a clear field to play, without having to worry that GTA 6 will be hogging the limelight later in the year, after the Switch 2 launches in June.

Only a Rockstar game could have this much influence on the games industry simply by not coming out, but the mere absence of GTA 6 is going to reshape the game release schedules for the next 12 months and beyond.

When is the next GTA 6 trailer?

Rockstar has said nothing about a second trailer and it’s unclear whether the long gap between the first one and now is purposeful, or a problem brought on by the delay.

Normally you would’ve expected Trailer 2 right about now (or ideally earlier) and to be the means by which they announced the release date. The fact that they instead just used a bland-looking tweet, with not even a bit of new artwork to call its own, suggests that a new trailer is not imminent.

There will surely be one before the game’s launch, but it may not be until next year, or perhaps on the second anniversary of the first in early December.

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