Has GTA 6 been delayed? Rockstar Games issues official statement

After over a year of silence on GTA 6, Rockstar Games has finally provided an update, but it's not what fans wanted to hear. The gaming industry giant has announced that its upcoming title has been delayed and will now release in early 2026. This was communicated in an official Newswire post today, May 2, 2025, on Rockstar's website.

The gaming community now has to wait another year for the much-anticipated Grand Theft Auto sequel, which so far was scheduled to come out on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S during Fall 2025.

Rockstar Games has delayed GTA 6 to May 26, 2026

Expand Tweet

The first GTA 6 trailer dropped in December 2023, announcing 2025 as the title's official release year. A few months later, in May 2024, Rockstar Games' parent company, Take-Two Interactive, announced Fall 2025 as its release window during an earnings call, which had remained unchanged even until the company's latest February 2025 earnings call.

However, Rockstar Games has now issued an official statement confirming that it has been delayed and that the new GTA 6 release date is May 26, 2026. Here's a segment from the issued statement:

"We are very sorry that this is later than you expected. The interest and excitement surrounding a new Grand Theft Auto has been truly humbling for our entire team. We want to thank you for your support and your patience as we work to finish the game."

As can be read in the quote above, Rockstar has apologized to the fans for this delay. The studio further stated that its goal with every new release is to try and exceed the expectations, and that this extra time is required to deliver the title at the level of quality that fans deserve.

It is worth noting that Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2, the last two big releases from Rockstar Games, also experienced delays. In fact, the latter was delayed on multiple occasions. That, and the fact that Rockstar had shared nothing about Grand Theft Auto 6 since its first trailer came out became the reason for many fans fearing a delay, which eventually turned out to be the case.

Check out: Shroud issues 3-word response to GTA 6 release date being officially delayed

As mentioned earlier, the official Grand Theft Auto 6 release date is May 26, 2026 now. This means that as of this writing, there is a little more than a year left in its launch.

Also Check: When was GTA 6 supposed to come out? Original release date plans explored

About the author

Suyash is an Esports and Gaming journalist at Sportskeeda who specializes in Rockstar Games' GTA franchise. Suyash uses in-depth research and knowledge of his immense experience with the game series to ensure readers have access to the most reliable information. His insightful content pieces have raked in more than 5 million views in just a little over a year's time.

Suyash holds a B.Tech degree and ventured into the world of gaming at a young age through the Prince of Persia Sands of Time trilogy. However, upon encountering GTA Vice City’s 1980s aesthetic, music, and vintage cars, he became enamored with the game, leading him to explore the rest of the franchise.

Suyash prefers solo titles to multiplayer, especially ones with a well-crafted story and character arcs. He admires journalist Jason Schreier for the respect he commands in the industry and the reliability of his news pieces. To ensure the accuracy of his own pieces, he checks multiple reputable sources and insiders.

If he were to recommend a game to a skeptic, it would be Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series. When he’s not roaming the streets of Los Santos in GTA V, you can find him playing football, watching movies, or working out.

Know More

Edited by Adarsh J Kumar