rockstar games
Hmm! It’s official – the wait time for Grand Theft Auto VI just got longer.
Rockstar announced yet another delay, pushing the release of its massive open-world sequel to November 19, 2026. The studio states that additional time is needed to reach the level of finish that players “expect and deserve.”
Rockstar’s brief but apologetic message described the move as a matter of improvement rather than reinvention.
Grand Theft Auto VI will be released on November 19, 2026 We recognize the long wait and apologize for adding more time, but these additional months will allow us to complete the game with the level of polish you’ve come to expect and deserve. We’d like to thank you again for your patience and support. We’re very excited for players to experience the vast state of Leonida and its return to modern Vice City.
Thank you, Rockstar Games. ”
That means the game has been postponed twice. The first time was from fall 2025 to May 2026, and now on November 19, 2026. When it finally launches, it will have been 13 years since GTA V exploded onto store shelves in 2013.
Zelnick: ‘Very confident’ this is the last delay
Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick seemed unfazed when speaking to IGN ahead of the announcement. “We wanted to give Rockstar the proper amount of time to hone the title and make it the best it can be,” he said.
When asked if players should be ready again for 2027, Zelnick said, “I’m very confident… There were limited situations where we needed more time to polish the title and make sure it was great, but that time was well spent. Bad things happen when competitors come to market before something is ready. That said, I’m very confident in the new date.”
He also highlighted Rockstar’s obsessive standards, calling GTA V “the standard holder not only for our company but for the industry across three generations of consoles,” and explaining that Rockstar’s culture is one defined by “performance” and the relentless pursuit of excellence.
Business is good, but patience is not so much
The announcement coincided with Take-Two’s record-breaking second quarter results, with net bookings reaching $1.96 billion (USD) thanks to NBA 2K26, Mafia: The Old Country and Borderlands 4. Meanwhile, GTA V shows no signs of slowing down, selling over 220 million copies and continuing to drive engagement through GTA Online.
Still, the postponement dealt a huge blow to the market. Stocks fell after the call, and fans on social media reacted with a mixture of memes and mild despair. It’s a familiar atmosphere. We all know how long Rockstar takes, but that wait is starting to feel like a myth.
In the next six months, we won’t know whether a project of this size will succeed or fail. But it’s another reminder that GTA VI isn’t just a sequel, it’s a pressure cooker. After 13 years, “better late than never” no longer holds true.
