It's not too great a stretch to say that Grand Theft Auto 6 is one of the most hyped-up video games of all time, if not the most hotly anticipated in history. Rockstar's long-awaited follow-up to GTA 5 was pushed out of 2025 a few months back, making the interminable wait for the open-world crime thrillride even more arduous, but most agree that it's worth waiting a bit longer if it means a better overall product. No one wants another Cyberpunk 2077 fiasco, after all.
Interestingly, GTA 6 feels a bit more like a real, solid game in the wake of its delay announcement. Perhaps this is a result of the second GTA 6 trailer dropping just after Rockstar broke the news, or maybe it's because this delay is, ironically, one of the few signs of life GTA 6 has exhibited since its initial announcement. Indeed, GTA 6 has assumed an almost mythical status within the gaming community, being the butt of countless jokes ("we got [x] before GTA 6" was a particularly common meme for a while there), and inspiring an almost psychotic fervor among hardcore audiences on the lookout for news, hints, Easter eggs, and anything else that might shed light on Rockstar's upcoming opus.
Why Grand Theft Auto 6’s Release Date Could Be The Most Important in Gaming History
The release window for Grand Theft Auto 6 is drawing closer, with the implications of its launch likely having a huge impact on the industry.
Grand Theft Auto 6 Is Officially Available to Wishlist On the Xbox Store
Wishlist Availability Suggests GTA 6 Is Well On Its Way
As of yesterday, Xbox players can finally add Grand Theft Auto 6 to their wishlists, following the arrival of the same feature on the PlayStation Store several weeks prior. Obviously, the wishlist availability alone isn't very exciting—it's not like wishlisting a game grants access to special features or anything like that. But it is a sign of more good things to come, and could indicate that GTA 6's revised release date of May 26, 2026 is still firmly set.
The last thing that gamers want is yet another delay of GTA 6, and now that the game can be wishlisted on both major console storefronts, it seems like a subsequent delay is far less likely. The Xbox and PlayStation Stores both list May 26 as the game's release date, further spreading that information and solidifying it in the public consciousness. In other words, activating wishlist capabilities on Xbox and PlayStation is a sign of confidence from Rockstar, suggesting that it is going to stay true to the May 26 release target.
GTA 6 Pre-Orders Could Be Imminent
Ultimately, it's up to Rockstar to decide when to open the gate to what will likely be an avalanche of pre-orders for GTA 6, but it's a common practice to start pre-orders shortly after a game becomes wishlist-able on digital storefronts. Aside from being tradition, this is a sensible marketing strategy: wishlisting doesn't incur a cost, making it much more appealing to prospective players, who will then be notified when pre-orders become available, which in turn makes it more likely that they will pre-order, which puts more money in Rockstar's pockets. By making pre-ordering available shortly after swaths of players wishlist a game, said game remains front-of-mind for longer.
Assuming, then, that GTA 6 pre-orders are coming down the pipeline, it will certainly be interesting to see what new information can be gleaned about the final product. Naturally, Rockstar will probably have some pre-order incentives, like exclusive cosmetics and cars, and these could shed some more light on what GTA 6 will look like. As previously mentioned, gaming audiences are rabid for more GTA 6 intel, so it's safe to say that GTA 6's pre-order bonuses, whenever they're revealed, will be picked apart relentlessly.
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.
- Engine
- Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE)
- Prequel(s)
- Grand Theft Auto 5
- Franchise
- Grand Theft Auto
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- November 19, 2026
- PS5 Release Date
- November 19, 2026
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
