Rockstar has introduced that GTA 6, essentially the most anticipated sport of 2025, has been delayed till Might 2026. In an announcement posted to its social media, the corporate has mentioned it wants extra time to create the sport.
Whereas no official launch date had been made for the upcoming open-world sport, it was broadly anticipated to reach this fall, with different video games delaying their very own launch into subsequent yr in an try and keep away from launching in opposition to Rockstar’s behemoth. That’s all now thrown for a loop, with the sport now set to be launched on Might 26, 2026.
“We’re very sorry that that is later than you anticipated,” Rockstar posted to X. “The curiosity and pleasure surrounding a brand new Grand Theft Auto has been really humbling for our whole staff. We need to thanks on your help and your endurance as we work to complete the sport.”
Delays at this stage will not be uncommon, as groups take inventory and notice that one other half a yr isn’t going to be sufficient to get the sport prepared for launch. However given GTA 6 has been in improvement for a few years already, it does tackle somewhat extra significance. Not least for Rockstar homeowners Take-Two, whose shares took a pointy pre-market dip within the minutes following the announcement, dropping over 9 p.c.
“With each sport we’ve launched,” Rockstar’s assertion continues, “the objective has at all times been to attempt to exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI isn’t any exception. We hope you perceive that we’d like this additional time to ship on the stage of high quality you anticipate and deserve.”
Take-Two Interactive, through 2K, have already got fairly a busy fall, with Mafia: The Outdated Nation and Borderlands 4 due, alongside the likes of NBA 2K26. Borderlands 4 has solely simply moved it personal launch date forward 11 days, fueling a lot hypothesis that it is perhaps shifting out of the best way of GTA 6. We now after all know that is positively not the case, however might have been an early signal of the writer rearranging issues forward of the announcement.
This delay can have monumental implications throughout all the trade, given the huge expectation that the sport will promote record-breaking numbers of copies. Not releasing forward of the vacations will possible hit console gross sales extraordinarily arduous, given GTA 6 shall be a sport many are ready for earlier than upgrading to the present era. It should even be an actual blow for bodily gaming shops.
Nonetheless, for the common participant, these delays would possibly suck, however are invariably excellent news ultimately. A completed sport in a while is at all times higher than a damaged one earlier. However gosh, this stays a seismic announcement that’ll ripple throughout the entire gaming trade.
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