- The initial GTA 6 trailer revealed the game's release window as 2025, but failed to provide a release date.
- Rockstar went radio silent after the first trailer, but eventually reappeared to confirm the game's official release date.
- GTA 6 is scheduled for launch on May 26, 2026.
2025 marks 12 years since the release of the last major GTA title, and each day, GTA 6 draws closer to the horizon. The only glimpse we’ve caught of the game came via its first trailer, which showed off the neon-soaked streets of Vice City in all their glory. Rockstar have since put on a masterclass in obscurity, and kept the game completely under wraps. Naturally, this has attracted plenty of speculation surrounding the game’s release date, especially since the aforementioned trailer ended with a broad 2025 release window. So, if you’re wondering when GTA 6 comes out, here’s everything to know.
When Does GTA 6 Come Out (Updated May 2025)
As confirmed by Rockstar via their official X (formerly Twitter) page, GTA 6 is scheduled to release on May 26, 2026. The announcement came on an unassuming Friday, immediately shattering the faith of millions of fans worldwide. Considering the pre-delay Fall 2025 window, the new release has added at least six more months to the game’s development pipeline.
Rockstar Games Release Timeline
Here’s a table with the release dates of Rockstar’s previous games to compare and contrast GTA 6’s official release date with:
| Title | Release Date |
|---|---|
| Grand Theft Auto III | October 22, 2001 |
| Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | October 29, 2002 |
| Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | October 26, 2004 |
| Grand Theft Auto IV | April 29, 2008 |
| GTA IV PC | December 2, 2008 |
| Grand Theft Auto V | September 17, 2013 |
| GTA V PC | November 18, 2014 |
| Red Dead Redemption 2 | October 26, 2018 |
| RDR 2 PC | November 5, 2019 |
| GTA: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition | November 11, 2021 |
As you might have noticed, Rockstar Games releases almost all its major games in the fall months of each year. The only exceptions are GTA 4 and GTA 6, but only if they manage to stick the landing.
The delay certainly makes sense, considering Take-Two is already planning to release Borderlands 4 and Mafia: The Old Country in 2025. Borderlands 4, which releases in September, needed more room to breathe and was perhaps just a little too close to the GTA 6 blast zone. That said, the delay likely has more to do with Rockstar’s development plans than Take-Two’s release schedules.
GTA 6 Will Release on a Tuesday Once Again
Since the release of GTA Vice City, every GTA title has been released on a Tuesday. GTA 6 looks set to carry on that tradition since May 26, 2026, is yet another fateful Tuesday. While it appears likely to uphold this tradition, its summer release date certainly flies against Rockstar’s typical Q4 release cadence for GTA games.
Reason Behind the GTA 6 Delay
As mentioned in their ominous social media post, Rockstar has delayed GTA 6 because the game simply needed more time in the oven. Their exact statement read, “With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception. We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.”
Highly-awaited AAA games are delayed all the time, but this one stings a bit more, probably because we are yet to see even a smidge of gameplay.
Nevertheless, how do you feel about the GTA 6 release date? Do you think it will meet the official release date? Let us know in the comments.
