It's no exaggeration to say that Grand Theft Auto 6 is one of the most anticipated games of all time. In spite of the fact that Rockstar Games has only released a single trailer for the open-world crime simulator, it's already generated enough interest on social media sites like YouTube to rival even the most popular of video games. Rockstar and its parent company, Take-Two Interactive, confirmed quite some time ago that Grand Theft Auto 6 will be released in 2025. However, the marketing for the game has been practically non-existent. Although it is supposedly less than 12 months away from hitting store shelves, Rockstar has been completely silent about GTA 6, for better or for worse.
In a recent interview, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick stated that he is confident in Rockstar's plans to release Grand Theft Auto 6 this year. He did, however, admit that there's always a risk of slippage, so he wasn't willing to speak in absolutes. Even if GTA 6 doesn't make it in time, the announcement of its release date will no doubt be one of the biggest gaming news stories this year. That said, in the event that the game does actually get pushed back to 2026, as Zelnick said it might, its delay will likely have major repercussions on not just Rockstar's quarterly earnings, but on the video game industry at large.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Just Hit an Unfortunate Milestone
April 17 marks a somber day for Grand Theft Auto fans, as the highly anticipated GTA 6 reaches an unfortunate milestone.
A Potential GTA 6 Delay Would Have a Big Impact on the Gaming Industry
If GTA 6 Gets Pushed Back into 2026, Several 2025 Games Will Likely Get Release Dates
The first thing that gamers should probably expect in the wake of a GTA 6 delay is a surge of release date announcements for upcoming AAA games. Several reports from the last few weeks have alleged that many major game publishers are actively waiting for Rockstar to make a move with GTA 6 so that they can set release dates for their own titles accordingly. Apparently, some developers are even willing to push their games back to 2026 if GTA 6 ends up encroaching on their projected release windows.
Frankly, it's not surprising that a lot of companies are seemingly hesitant to release their games alongside Grand Theft Auto 6. After all, any entertainment product that launches within proximity of Rockstar's blockbuster title will almost certainly be overshadowed by it. If GTA 6 does get pushed into 2026, though, it's reasonable to assume that many games that are currently targeting a 2026 launch window will also be delayed as a result. Several games that are supposed to come out next year, like Fable, Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and the Prince of Persia: Sands of Time remake, could be affected because of this.
Without GTA 6, The Competition For 2025's GOTY Would Become Much More Competitive
Since Grand Theft Auto 6 will probably be one of the most critically-acclaimed games of the decade, it's worth noting that any potential delays to it may impact people's Game of the Year picks for 2025, as well. Given Rockstar's reputation, there's little reason to believe that Grand Theft Auto 6 won't be a GoTY contender. Almost every mainline GTA installment up to this point has been universally acclaimed, and even Rockstar's other releases, such as Red Dead Redemption 2, have been regarded as genre-defining masterpieces. If GTA 6 doesn't come out this year, the judges at The Game Awards are going to have a much harder time determining the best game of 2025.
Rockstar Could Fill in Any Possible Gaps in Its 2025 Release Schedule With Other Titles
A Grand Theft Auto 6 delay would leave a wide gap in Rockstar's 2025 release schedule, but the company could fill it up with an additional GTA Online update or two. If Rockstar currently has the resources to do so, it could even release a GTA: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition-style remaster of GTA 4 for modern consoles in the meantime. This delay would also give Rockstar the perfect opportunity to bring GTA 5 to the Switch 2 in late 2025. However, only time will tell if any of these things end up happening.
OpenCritic Reviews
- Released
- November 19, 2026
- ESRB
- Rating Pending - Likely Mature 17+
- Developer(s)
- Rockstar Games
- Publisher(s)
- Rockstar Games
WHERE TO PLAY
Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.
Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.
