Rockstar Games has confirmed that GTA 6 will miss its May 26 release date and will move to November of next year after much speculation.
On November 6, just before Take-Two Interactive’s earnings call, the studio confirmed it won’t hit its May target.
“Grand Theft Auto VI will now release on Thursday, November 19, 2026,” the studio announced.
Rockstar apologized, stressing that while they know the wait has been long, the delay will be worth it in the end.
“We are sorry for adding additional time to what we realize has been a long wait, but these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve.”
The devs further thanked fans for their patience, adding that they are “incredibly excited for players to experience the sprawling state of Leonida and a return to modern day Vice City.”
Take-Two CEO “highly confident” GTA 6 won’t be delayed further
Strauss Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two Interactive, has been adamant that GTA 6 will be worth waiting for.
“We remain both excited and confident they will deliver an unrivalled blockbuster entertainment experience,” he said ahead of the company’s Q2 2026 earnings call.
Speaking with IGN about the delay, the CEO said that “We’ve had more time to develop the title. And so we are getting closer to the release. We are grateful that it is still within the same fiscal year. And mostly we’re grateful to Rockstar for constantly seeking perfection.”
Zelnick added that he is “highly confident” that the game won’t be delayed to 2027 and will ready to launch in November.
“And at the same time, there have been limited circumstances where more time was required to polish a title and make sure that it was spectacular and that time has been well-spent, when our competitors go to market before something was ready, bad things happen.”
The decision to delay comes just days after insider and YouTuber Reece ‘Kiwi Talkz’ Reilly said that devs at Rockstar’s Bangalore, Edinburgh and San Diego studios weren’t confident they could hit the May 2026 target despite the game being “pretty much complete.”
According to Reilly, the developers are working tirelessly to prevent a Cyberpunk 2077 situation where the game is released in a bug and glitch-filled state.
The same day the delay was announced, protests broke out outside Rockstar North’s Edinburgh studio and Take-Two Interactive’s London headquarters, with demonstrators accusing the company of “union busting” following the dismissal of dozens of staff members.
GTA 6 Is Delayed Again Until November 2026