Allegedly, some developers are "praying" that GTA 6 was delayed from a purported fall 2025 release window (even though it never had an official release date) to May 26, 2026. Since then, there has been quite a lot of speculation that the game may need further delays to reach the level of polish that Rockstar Games and fans will be happy with. Now, it seems like other developers are hoping the game gets delayed even further.

According to a report from Bloomberg's Jason Schreier (report behind a paywall), the May 26, 2026 release date for GTA 6 may not happen, saying: "There’s no guarantee that May 2026 is a sure thing." Schreier is also reporting that the entire industry is making predictions and game development decisions around whether GTA 6 will hit its targeted release date or not, writing: “It’s a massive game of 4D chess playing out across the entire video-game industry, as business analysts at every major company try to discern whether Rockstar will actually finish the game in time..." (via Dexerto).

Could GTA 6 Be Delayed Again?

More Delays Would Align With Rockstar's Previous Games

There has been a lot of fan spring 2018 release window. Red Dead 2 ultimately saw another delay before eventually releasing in October 2018.

According to reports, the reason for delaying GTA 6 was to polish the game and to avoid "brutal crunch" and harsh working conditions as the game's release date got closer. Allegedly, "nobody" at Rockstar Games believed the purported fall 2025 release window was achievable. Via Kotaku, Schreier reported on crunch during Red Dead Redemption 2's development to meet the game's October 2018 release month, and that was after the game had already been delayed a few times.

A Lot Is Riding On GTA 6's Release Date

The Entire Industry Seems To Be Watching

GTA 6 is estimated to be the largest entertainment launch in history, so the game's release date carries arguably the largest amount of weight of any game release in history. It's not just about when GTA 6 will release, it's also about the games that are expected to release near it. It has long been reported that developers and publishers were hesitant to commit to a 2025 release until GTA 6 had one. Now that the game is in 2026 (for now), there may be even more anxiety in the industry.

This all, of course, is just speculation for now, and GTA 6's release date is set for May 26, 2026. But game release dates have to be decided eventually, and with worries that Grand Theft Auto 6 could end up releasing in fall 2026 or even later, the entire industry is seemingly waiting for the metaphorical "OK" from Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive to release their own titles and avoid the juggernaut GTA IP.

Source: Bloomberg, Dexerto, Jason Schreier/Bluesky, Kotaku