Well, get ready for a bunch of release date announcements in the coming weeks. Rockstar Games has confirmed Grand Theft Auto VI is no longer launching this year and has been delayed to May 26, 2026. Unsurprisingly, the reason behind the delay is to give the team the extra time it needs to deliver at the level of quality gamers expect and deserve.
Expectations for Grand Theft Auto VI are really high, considering the runaway success of Grand Theft Auto V. While it’s the second-best-selling game of all time behind Minecraft at over 210 million units, Grand Theft Auto V has generated over $8.5 billion in worldwide revenue. It’s considered one of the most financially successful entertainment products of all time. Considering Grand Theft Auto V was originally released in 2013 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, players have been waiting a really long time for the next entry in the series. The first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI was shared in December 2023 and at the time, it announced a 2025 release date. That trailer quickly surpassed 150 million views on YouTube and currently sits at over 251 million views.
While the news is clearly disappointing for Grand Theft Auto fans, we’re betting publishers and developers worldwide have let out a sigh of relief and are now working on preparing their marketing materials to announce their 2025 release dates. Grand Theft Auto VI’s launch is expected to be so disruptive that most games will want to steer clear of its launch window. It’s the main reason many speculated, including us, that the recent Borderlands 4 release date change had to do with Grand Theft Auto VI’s release. Now we all look a bit silly.
