Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) has officially been delayed until next year after Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software which has offices in Scotland, confirmed the news in a statement on social media.
The upcoming game is the highly anticipated follow-up to GTA V, which originally released 12 years ago on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 and is the second-highest selling game of all time behind only Minecraft. The long-awaited sequel was originally due to release in Autumn 2025 but now GTA 6 has an official UK and worldwide release date of May 26, 2026, meaning there will have been a near-13-year gap between the two titles. It also means the game could release just before the next generation of consoles launch, with rumours suggesting Sony is targeting 2027 for the release of the PlayStation 6.
In the statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), Rockstar claim the delay is due to the extremely expectations surrounding the game: “We are very sorry that this is later than you expected. The interest and excitement surrounding a new Grand Theft Auto has been truly humbling for our entire team. We want to thank you for your support and your patience as we work to finish the game.
“With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto 6 is no exception. We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.”
With 1.4 billion hours, GTA V was streamed for 400 million hours more than any other game on Twitch last year. In addition to that, a survey found that almost half of UK gamers are willing to upgrade to the current generation of consoles to play GTA 6.
There is also a nervous wait to see how much GTA 6 will cost, as global economic issues continue to hit the gaming industry. The new Nintendo Switch 2 received significant backlash for its high cost and Microsoft yesterday announced a slew of price increases across Xbox consoles, controllers, and accessories. Microsoft also confirmed that some new games will cost $79.99 both physically and digitally upon launch around the Christmas period this year.
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