Grand Theft Auto 6's imminent release reportedly has video game publishers considering delaying their games slated to release in the same period. It's fair to say that Rockstar's open-world game is the most anticipated title of 2025: Fans have waited for a new GTA for over a decade, and the 2023 announcement trailer only increased the excitement. With the video game industry being as competitive as it is, it stands to reason that developers would want to make room for such a highly anticipated title.

According to The Game Business, multiple high-profile publishers itted that they're willing to push back their titles to avoid competing with GTA 6. One studio boss went so far as to describe GTA 6 as a catastrophic event for release schedules:

GTA 6 is basically a huge meteor and we will just stay clear of the blast zone. We will nudge our releases back or forward three weeks to avoid it. Of course, the problem is everyone is going to do the same. So three to four weeks before or after GTA 6, you’re going to get a load of games dropping content in what they believe will be the safe zone.

Many studios are waiting for Rockstar to lock in a release date before announcing their launches, with the head of "one of the world's biggest game publishers" noting that "Rockstar games always suck a lot of money and, more importantly, time" out of players.

Studios Aren't Just Competing For Money

There's A Much More Valuable Commodity On The Line

A recurring theme among many of the publishers speaking about the launch of GTA 6 is that they're less concerned about people not spreading their money across multiple titles, but rather lacking the time to sink into other games. Rockstar is known for creating some of the hours to thoroughly explore. That kind of commitment draws attention away from other major titles that don't have a similar reputation.

Time has become a valuable resource for many players given the prevalence of the games-as-a-service model. In such a competitive space where developers are fighting for player retention, it's becoming increasingly difficult to make an impact on such a saturated market. It stands to reason that avoiding GTA 6 makes sense for most AAA publishers aiming to succeed in 2025's fourth quarter.

Avoiding GTA 6's Release Makes Sense

Rockstar Is In A League Of Its Own

The release of Grand Theft Auto 6 is more than a simple video game launch: It's an event. With the hype constantly growing, I understand why other publishers wouldn't want to compete with such a monolithic title, even if they're not necessarily within in the same genre. The end of 2025 will be dominated by players returning to Vice City, so I think it's best if studios give consumers some breathing room.

Source: The Game Business