Rockstar Games Changes 'GTA 6' Release Date After Another Delay

At this point, waiting for Grand Theft Auto 6 feels like a rite of passage for gamers. Since the day 'Grand Theft Auto 5' launched back in 2013, fans have been holding out hope for the next big chapter. Over the years, Rockstar Games has teased, hinted, and promised that the long-awaited sequel is “coming soon,” but each time, the finish line moves just a little farther away.

The company has built its reputation on perfectionism. Every entry in the series has set a new standard for open-world storytelling, but even the most patient fans are starting to wonder if GTA 6 will ever actually arrive.

Rockstar Games announced yet another delay to the highly anticipated release date in November 2025, and now fans are asking: What is the new GTA 6 release date? Here's what we know.

Rockstar Games has once again confirmed a new release date on its official newswire, announcing that Grand Theft Auto 6 will not be releasing in May 2026, but instead launch on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026. The developer said it needed “additional time” to ensure the game meets the polish players expect.

In the statement, Rockstar Games apologized for the long wait, writing, “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."

For those keeping track, this marks at least the third major delay for GTA 6. The game was initially expected in fall 2025, then shifted to May 2026, and now pushed yet again to November.

In the announcement delaying the release until May 2026, Rockstar Games wrote that GTA 6 would release "May 26, 2026. We are very sorry that this is later than you expected."

The announcement continued, "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."

So basically, it's the same story, different day.

Take-Two Interactive's CEO, Strauss Zelnick, told Variety that the decision came down to scope and quality. “We’re seeking to release the most extraordinary title anyone’s ever seen in the history of entertainment,” Strauss said.

“Rockstar Games believes a limited amount of additional time is required for polish to support that view.” Take-Two Interactive is the parent company of Rockstar Games.

In other words, the company isn’t ready to compromise. And after more than a decade of development, neither are the fans.

The setting, the sprawling state of Leonida and a return to modern-day Vice City, promise to redefine what an open-world game can be.

But Rockstar Games clearly won't rush anything, choosing instead to schedule further delays in order to make sure GTA 6 lives up to its monumental expectations.

Despite the delays, excitement hasn’t cooled. The game’s first trailer shattered YouTube records with over 93 million views in 24 hours, proving fans are still all in. For now, the countdown resets once again, and patience remains the name of the game. Fans are definitely irritated, but hopefully this will be the final delay in a long wait.

After so many release dates and delays, GTA 6 feels like the ultimate test of gamer loyalty. Rockstar insists the wait will be worth it, and if history is any guide, it probably will be. For fans dreaming of speeding through Vice City again, November 2026 can’t come soon enough.