I ended last year with the most reasonable “I’m not mad, don’t put in the newspaper that I got mad” approach to Grand Theft Auto 6’s various delays. Rockstar’s chasing perfection – I get it, I really do. A massive release like this, the sequel to one of the best-selling games of all time (225 million units and counting by Take-Two’s reports) – you need time to get it right.
But if everything that happens twice is bound to happen a third time, you couldn’t possibly convince me that it wouldn’t be delayed again, this time to 2027. Nope, no way.
So, imagine Take-Two Interactive revealing its latest fiscal earnings report, and CEO Strauss Zelnick coming out and saying that Grand Theft Auto 6 is on track to release this year on November 19th.
Now, I’ve played these games before, Strauss. I’m not willing to have my heart broken again. Seemingly aware that the same old song and dance wouldn’t work, Zelnick went even further and confirmed that Rockstar Games would begin launch marketing – those exact words – this Summer. And maybe it’s just the fact that Geoff Keighley tweets all kinds of big industry news when he’s not busy updating everyone about Highguard, but something tells me that we’ll see a new trailer at this year’s Summer Games Showcase.
Given that several hands-on previews happen to emerge around the same time, it may also be when we get the first of hopefully several in-depth looks at Grand Theft Auto 6 at last, after all these years. I’m getting ahead of myself, I know, but if not in June, when the world will be watching, then when?
I digress. When asked by IGN about the release date, Zelnick said, “I feel good about it. Very good about it.” Why should anyone believe Take-Two’s word at this point, especially when Zelnick said that he was “highly confident” that it would be released last Fall? And then possessed a “very, very high level of conviction” in that previous May 2026 release date?
What’s suddenly changed since then? As the man himself puts it, “Any time you’re getting closer to marketing beats, you’re obviously in a place where your confidence level is as high as it can be.” And really, at this point, there’s no real response to this, other than, “Yeah, we’ll see.” Not to be denigratory or disrespectful – that is just the nature of game development, and with Rockstar apparently committed to delivering nothing short of perfection, another delay wouldn’t be surprising.
However, Zelnick didn’t stop there. He also confirmed that generative AI had “zero part” in what Rockstar was building with Grand Theft Auto 6 – how its worlds are handcrafted, built from the ground up, “building by building, street by street, neighborhood by neighborhood.” “That’s what differentiates them,” he said, and ultimately makes them “great entertainment.” Which is more of an answer for investors who want the company’s stance on AI, but it still reinforces the magnitude of work that’s gone into the title.
More importantly, he quashed a rumor that there wouldn’t be physical copies at launch, supposedly to prevent leaks if they broke street date. Variety asked if the physical version would launch in 2027, long after the digital version went live, and the response was simply, “That’s not the plan.” The rumor mentioned that it could be a few weeks of delays instead, but upon obtaining further clarification, IGN learned that there won’t be any kind of delay. Physical versions on the same day as digital, essentially.
He also said that Gearbox paused development on the Switch 2 version of Borderlands 4, but that’s neither here nor there.
All of this together really makes me feel like that maybe, just maybe, Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch this year. Again, game development is a volatile thing. Something that works today could very well break tomorrow for dozens of different reasons, and you won’t know why.
However, rumors have circulated for a while now about the game being content-complete, and that the additional time is meant for polish. The previous delays were also for the sake of polish. At this point, you have to feel like Rockstar is honing in on its goal and that all that extra time is paying dividends. Maybe it’s just what I want to think because I’m tired, boss, and my heart probably can’t take it any more.
I return to another statement that Zelnick said back in November after the last delay was announced. “We have to start marketing activities in a significant amount of time ahead of release. What we want to do is give consumers as much certainty as possible.” The fact that they’re not only committing to the date but also to when launch marketing will officially begin has me somewhat convinced that it’s not all just reassurance for reassurance’s sake. That Take-Two really was telling the truth, and had the whole thing planned out heading into the new year.
Time, as always, will tell if that is the case, and the pressure is immense. Even if it doesn’t succeed in bringing the industry back from the brink, giving the overwhelming majority of casual players something to get excited about, billions are riding on its success. And that’s over the course of several years, especially if rumors to add more single-player content post-launch turn out to be true, never mind whatever the plans may be for Grand Theft Auto Online, which Zelnick said would continue to be supported.
However, as much as I feel for Rockstar Games wanting to release Grand Theft Auto 6 in all its perfection – not even at its very best but in a perfect state, because you only really get one shot – there must come a point where you’ve done everything you can. That point where it’s now or never, and it’s time to let the world finally get its hands on it. November 19th, for all intents and purposes, currently seems to be that day. If Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 have taught us anything, it’s that you can’t catch every single bug, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Releasing it for such a large audience means that all those hidden issues can finally be identified, and that too at a quicker pace. It’s a fine balance between making the perfect first impression that fans and new players will cherish for years to come, and getting your game out there, hoping that they’ll be impressed with everything else and not mind a few bugs.
Regardless of the thought process, Take-Two Interactive seems confident enough that 2026 is the year. Rockstar Games, for all their silence, seems confident that this is finally the year. And for those who have waited all these years – whether it’s for a sequel that they’ll hyper-analyze to death or simply bask in the atmosphere as we’ve finally made it – this may be it.
You would think more fanfare was in order, but that’s one of the more exciting parts about these latest announcements: There’s so much more to come, and we have no idea what to expect at all. Between heavy-hitters like Resident Evil Requiem, Marvel’s Wolverine, Crimson Desert, and more, Rockstar certainly has its work cut out for it. If it is truly the last Grand Theft Auto for the next decade or so, it’s shaping up to be a truly unforgettable occasion.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.