Grand Theft Auto 6 will not arrive as soon as fans hoped. Rockstar Games has announced that the blockbuster sequel is now scheduled for release on 19 November 2026, marking the second delay after previously shifting from an initial autumn 2025 target to May 2026.
In a statement, the studio said the extra months are needed to finish the game with the level of polish audiences expect and deserve. The decision extends an already lengthy wait: GTA 5 launched in 2013 and remains the second best-selling game of all time, sustained by its hugely popular online mode.
Despite the frustration that erupted across social media, including dramatic reactions from streamers and jokes from viral accounts, many players acknowledged they would rather see a fully realized game than a rushed one. As many AAA games in the past have been released ahead of time with an insurmountable amounts of glitches and bugs, the general consensus of gamers currently is that they would rather wait longer for a polished game rather than pay around 80 dollars for something that is ultimately unplayable—thus, Rockstar’s decision seems logical and could benefit them and their consumers upon release, whenever that might actually come.
Rockstar has offered only limited glimpses of GTA 6 so far, with two trailers surpassing 100 million views. The game is set in the fictional state of Leonida, inspired by Florida, and includes a modern iteration of Vice City. The story follows protagonists Jason and Lucia as they navigate a life of crime, hinting at new characters and a wide-ranging map.
‘Many players acknowledged they would rather see a fully realized game than a rushed one’
Rockstar has a history of pushing back release dates in pursuit of perfection, including with Red Dead Redemption 2. Development ambition and soaring production costs mean expectations are higher than ever—and pressure is intense. GTA 6 is likely to become one of the most expensive games ever produced and is widely expected to break launch sales records. Many publishers have already delayed their initial game releases because they did not want to compete with GTA 6. Now, others could have a gap and backtrack to their original release times, meaning that gamers will not remain empty-handed in the rest of 2026.
Whether the arguably most anticipated title of the last decade will match the hype will only be known in 2026.
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