You'll have to wait a little bit longer for that video game you've been waiting 12 years for already.
Rockstar Games posted a message on its website on Friday morning confirming the news that you may have seen coming, but didn't want to hear: Grand Theft Auto VI has been delayed. The game, which until now had a vague release window of late 2025, is now confirmed for launch on May 26, 2026. The full message from Rockstar is as follows:
Hi everyone,
Grand Theft Auto VI is now set to release on May 26, 2026.
We are very sorry that this is later than you expected. The interest and excitement surrounding a new Grand Theft Auto has been truly humbling for our entire team. We want to thank you for your support and your patience as we work to finish the game.
With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception. We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.
We look forward to sharing more information with you soon.
Sincerely,
Rockstar Games
The story of GTA VI has been a long and winding one. Its predecessor came out in 2013, long enough ago that it was originally an Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game. I was in college when I played GTA V, and now I'm in my 30s. The incredible financial success of GTA Online and Red Dead Redemption 2 in the meantime meant Rockstar had no incentive to rush the next GTA to market, so after a decade of rumors and leaks, we got one lone trailer in late 2023. This delay announcement is the first thing we've heard from GTA VI since then.
All we really know about the game is that its set in a modern-day rendition of Vice City, the GTA universe's take on Miami. It has two central playable characters, who appear to be in a Bonnie & Clyde kind of relationship with one another, and it generally looks very expensive and pretty. And that's probably all we'll continue to know about GTA VI for a while longer.
At least we have a date now!
