The gaming giant Postpones GTA VI Once More, Pushing Launch to Late 2026

The developer's long-awaited Grand Theft Auto VI, initially set to launch on the 26th of May the coming year, has been postponed once more – now to the conclusion of 2026. This marks nearly two years since the title's announcement, and more than 12 years since GTA V first hit the gaming scene.

“GTA VI will now debut on Thursday, November 19, 2026,” states Rockstar Games's official statement on social media. “We apologize for adding extra months to what we realize has been a protracted anticipation, but these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the quality you have come to expect and deserve.”

The eagerly awaited game stars a intimately linked duo of criminals named Jason and Lucia in the developer's sun-bleached version of Miami, Vice City, and the wider Florida-inspired state of Leonida. Work has been in progress at the Edinburgh studio in Edinburgh, with assistance from the company’s other studios in New York and globally, since the year 2018. Its original release window was late 2025.

It has been anticipated that GTA VI would reinvigorate an struggling gaming sector, which has experienced a decline after a pandemic-driven surge. According to publishing giant Take-Two’s latest financial reports, its predecessor Grand Theft Auto V has generated $8.6bn since its 2013 release. The studio's last game, the critically acclaimed Red Dead Redemption II, was launched in 2018 and achieved $725 million in revenue over its first weekend.

Players, in the meantime, have had a exceptionally lengthy period to look forward to Rockstar’s latest: even by the standards of the gaming industry, where half-decade long developments for blockbuster games are commonplace, the over twelve-year anticipation for Grand Theft Auto VI has been extensive.