It's official: Rockstar Games has once again postponed the release of its highly anticipated GTA VI. Initially scheduled for fall 2025, then pushed back to May 2026, the game will now finally be released on November 19, 2026, according to a statement published on November 7, 2025, on the studio's social media accounts.
"We're sorry to add a little more time to what has already been a long wait, but these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you expect and deserve," said Rockstar Games, before thanking fans for their patience and support. The studio promises an experience that will live up to expectations, with a return to Vice City, a fictional city inspired by Miami, at the heart of the new installment.
Twelve years after the release of GTA V, one of the best-selling games of all time with over 220 million copies sold, the pressure is immense for Rockstar Games and its parent company, Take-Two Interactive.
The announcement of the delay caused Take-Two's share price to fall 8% at the close of Wall Street, a few hours after the group's quarterly results were published. However, CEO Strauss Zelnick promised investors that fiscal year 2027 would reach "record levels" thanks to GTA VI, which is expected to "set a new benchmark" for the company.
The social context remains tense: around 30 employees who were laid off in Edinburgh protested outside the Rockstar Games offices, accusing management of union busting after the alleged disclosure of confidential information.
The game was originally scheduled (or at least according to the latest news) for release this fall. This was announced by Take-Two, the video game giant that owns Rockstar Games, which is developing the software. "Looking ahead, this calendar year is shaping up to be one of Take-Two's strongest ever," the publisher said in a statement on the company's financial results released on February 6. It continued: "We plan to launch Sid Meier's Civilization VII on February 11, Mafia: The Old Country this summer, and Grand Theft Auto VI in the fall."
Nothing was a foregone conclusion... Dan Houser, former co-president of Rockstar Games, told GQ in 2018 that he didn't want the game to be released during Donald Trump's term in office, should he win the 2024 presidential elections. "We really don't know what we'd do [si],let alonehow upset people would be by what we'd do," the newspaper's columns read.
Except that since then, Donald Trump has been re-elected, and gamers, remembering this statement very well, have questioned whether the project will be handled properly until its release in 2025. On November 7, 2024, after Donald Trump's victory at the polls , Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two (owner of Rockstar Games), provided details on whether or not the game would be released during a Q&A session with investors. He sought to be reassuring, indicating that the software is still scheduled for release on the announced date... But that will not be the case after all.
The first images of GTA VI, unveiled in a trailer in December 2023, have already captivated nearly 270 million viewers on YouTube. The game promises to return to Vice City, with yacht parties, frantic car chases, and explosive action scenes, while introducing a playable female character for the first time.
A second trailer, released in May 2025 after the first delay was announced, has already surpassed 138 million views. It features a pair of criminals confronting the police in spectacular scenes, including jet skis and double heists.
Controversial and scandalous since its inception, the Grand Theft Auto saga, launched in 1997, remains one of the most influential in video gaming. Until November 2026, players will have to wait a little longer to dive back into the sunny—and dangerous—streets of Vice City.
All we can do now is wait patiently with GTA V until the new installment is released!
For other trailers, click here:
