In a recent Insider Gaming podcast, reputed journalist Tom Henderson speculated that GTA 6 could be further delayed. Rockstar Games had initially planned to release the next Grand Theft Auto title in 2025, as indicated by its first trailer. However, in May 2025, they announced that it would be delayed till May 26, 2026.
As of now, this release date has not been pushed further ahead, but Henderson feels it could be delayed to the end of 2026. Here are more details about what the insider speculated.
Reputed insider speculates that GTA 6 could get delayed even further
In Episode 29 of the Insider Gaming Weekly podcast, Mike Straw, Tom Henderson, GTH, and Albert Perkins sat and talked about various video games.
Tom Henderson is a well-known insider who has speculated on various aspects of GTA 6's development and release in the past. Back in 2021, he said that the game could release sometime in 2025, which was later proven true when Rockstar Games set the release window that year.
He has predicted when Rockstar Games could drop GTA 6's release date or announce a delay, and also speculated that the game's budget could be around $1 billion.
In the latest podcast, he said a second delay for the title is possible. The insider said he has been listening and reading about several speculations and rumors, after which he feels that GTA 6's development might not be ready by May 26, 2026.
“To be honest, I don’t think that it is gonna release in May. For some reason, I just cannot see GTA 6 releasing in May. You know, all the rumblings and so on just doesn’t seem to suggest it. Not got enough to corroborate or report on it, so don’t put this on Reddit!” Henderson said. [Timestamp: 20:27]
He further talked about Rockstar Games being perfectionists and how they will try to iron out every bug the game has before releasing it. The insider added that the media could create negative narratives if it releases with even minor bugs.
Henderson finally speculated that the title may be delayed till October 2026 and that Rockstar Games could profit from the holiday season during that time:
“I think Rockstar have proven time and time again that they’re perfectionists. GTA is such a monumental game that anything that is wrong with it, even the slightest bug like your character clips outside of a door or whatever, the media is going to run with that and make it seem like an incredibly bad thing,” he added. [Timestamp: 20:27]
He reiterated that since Rockstar Games are "perfectionists," October seems like a more likely release period:
"I think Rockstar are just such perfectionists that to me personally, I think we're looking at October. That's what I was thinking. And Yep. Then it allows them to obviously get the the holiday sales," he speculated.
As of this writing, GTA 6 is set to release on May 26, 2026. Rockstar Games has not announced any further delays.
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