Grand Theft Auto VI Could Already Be Getting a Delay
In a recent interview, Strauss Zelnick (CEO of Take-Two Interactive) said that GTA VI would be ‘worth waiting for’. This seems to imply that the next entry in the huge GTA franchise would not be coming for quite a while longer. In a 2024 earnings call, Rockstar were confident that they could provide the game by Autumn of 2025 but, considering that the most recent official information for the release came in the form of a trailer from over a year ago, a delay announcement wouldn’t be completely out of the cards.
Image by Rockstar Games
That initial trailer hyped up fans with a release window stating that the game would be ‘coming 2025’. Since then, however, that release window has not appeared on any marketing materials for the game- implying that perhaps the scope and sheer size of the next Grand Theft Auto game is bigger than Rockstar would be able to deliver within that time frame. This is despite Strauss Zelnik confirming his confidence that the game would come in Autumn of 2025 earlier last year.
Rockstar’s previous big release was Red Dead Redemption 2, which came out in 2018. If GTA VI does get pushed back into 2026 (as many sources seem to be indicating), this would mean an 8 year gap between the studio’s major releases. The steadily increasing amount of time it takes to create and ship games has caused delays and long development time to skyrocket. Take series like The Elder Scrolls- which is now in its 14th year without a major release. Even Hollow Knight- who’s sequel ‘Silksong’ had its first trailer over 5 years ago now and has yet to provide any release window,
Image by Rockstar Games
Considering all of the above, a delay into 2026 is the least we can expect of Rockstar. Considering that GTA VI remains the most anticipated game this decade, it makes sense for Rockstar to ensure it’s the best it could possibly be before it ships. Considering the numerous leaks that the game has already suffered, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the news of a delay come out as part of a new leak instead of anything concrete from the developers unfortunately. Still, keep an eye on Rockstar’s social platforms for news later this year on a potential new release date.
