Overview
- The new date shifts the launch by roughly six months from the previously announced May 26, 2026 target and follows an earlier move from a 2025 window.
- Rockstar apologized for the longer wait and said the extra months are to finish the game to the level of polish players expect.
- Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick reaffirmed confidence in the project and stressed that delaying for quality has been the company’s practice when needed.
- The timing update comes after 31 staff were fired at Rockstar’s UK studios, with the IWGB alleging anti-union intent and Rockstar/Take-Two stating the terminations were for leaking confidential information.
- Analysts and outlets note the shift will reshape late-2026 release calendars for competitors, as GTA VI is expected to be a blockbuster set in Leonida with a return to Vice City featuring protagonists Lucia and Jason.