Grand Theft Auto VI delayed until 2026, extending wait for highly anticipated game
Take-Two Interactive on Friday pushed the release of Grand Theft Auto VI to May 26, 2026, extending the wait for one of the most hotly anticipated titles in video-gaming history and sending its shares tumbling nine per cent in pre-market trading.
The title, developed by Rockstar Games, was previously slated for a fall 2025 launch. The franchise is the crown jewel in Take-Two's portfolio, accounting for a significant share of revenue and player engagement, and expectations for the upcoming title have been baked into Wall Street forecasts for months.
The game is expected to be an instant hit, with billions of dollars in sales each year, according to several analysts. The previous entry, Grand Theft Auto V, released in 2013, has sold more than 200 million copies, making it one of the best-selling video games of all time.
"We support fully Rockstar Games taking additional time to realize their creative vision for Grand Theft Auto VI, which promises to be a groundbreaking blockbuster entertainment experience," Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said.
Delays have become commonplace in modern game development as studios grapple with rising production costs and growing pressure from players to deliver polished experiences at launch.
The delay now pushes the game out of Take-Two's fiscal 2026 release window and into 2027, which will likely bring down booking expectations for the next fiscal year. The company also reiterated its expectations for sequential increases in net bookings for fiscal 2026 and 2027.
Despite the postponement, Take-Two has a number of titles lined up for the next fiscal year, including Borderlands 4 and Mafia: The Old Country, which are expected to be big launches in their own right.
"Given that Take-Two reiterated expectations of record level net bookings in both FY [financial year] '26 and FY '27, we think this alleviates some of the potential concerns around sales cannibalization in FY '26," D.A. Davidson & Co. analyst Wyatt Swanson said.
Rockstar Games unveiled the first trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI in December 2023, set to Tom Petty's Love Is a Long Road.
The teaser confirmed the game's return to Vice City, a fictional take on Miami, and introduced Lucia, the franchise's first female lead. It hinted at a modern-day Bonnie-and-Clyde duo and drew more than 100 million views within 24 hours.
The game was also expected to be a major driver of overall video game industry growth this year after the market underwent a downturn following pandemic highs.
The delay also comes amid a period of economic uncertainty in the industry as sweeping U.S. tariffs have led to a surge in gaming console prices and a pullback in consumer spending, denting sales prospects for many game publishers.
cbc.ca
