- The official GTA 6 trailer announced the game's release for the year 2025.
- During its earnings calls, Take-Two Interactive repeatedly stated that GTA 6's target release window is the fall of 2025.
- Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged in an interview that the possibility of a release date slippage always exists.
The release of Rockstar Games’ GTA 6 has been eagerly anticipated for over a year now. The game’s name alone evokes visions of a neon-lit Vice City, adrenaline-pumping chases, and the expansive, complex worlds that Rockstar Games has so brilliantly created over the past ten years. Nevertheless, despite this intense enthusiasm, there is still a nagging question, a cloud of uncertainty brought on by the unpredictability of game development. This begs one question: Will Grand Theft Auto 6 launch in the fall of 2025, or are we going to be waiting even longer? Keep reading as we find out if GTA 6 is delayed.
GTA 6 Is Planned For a 2025 Release
Let us roll back to December 5, 2023. This is the first time we learned about the official GTA 6 release window. Toward the end of the GTA 6 trailer, it concluded with the unambiguous declaration: ‘Coming 2025.’ This secured 2025 as the release year for the highly anticipated GTA 5 successor.
Soon after the massive reveal, Take-Two announced the timeframe for Grand Theft Auto 6 in an earnings call. In this conference call, the parent company behind the game confirmed that GTA 6 will be released in Fall 2025. This definitive statement, coupled with its reiteration in subsequent financial reports and communications from parent company Take-Two Interactive, serves as the bedrock of the current expectation.
With a Mafia and a Borderlands game ready for release, Take-Two might be trying to delay the marketing for Q3 of 2025. A rumor suggested a marketing deal between PS5 and Rockstar Games, which indicates that PS5 listed GTA 6 in the PS store‘s backend. Although it does not confirm a GTA 6 trailer announcement, we can expect some material soon. However, we cannot deny the possibility of a release delay for GTA 6.
A GTA 6 Delay is Possible
The possibility of a delay starts with a statement made by Take-Two’s CEO. In an interview, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick explained the marketing strategy for GTA 6 and said, “We found that the better thing to do is provide marketing materials relatively close to the release window.”
However, when talking to IGN, he said there is always a risk of slippage and saying absolutely might jinx the release date. He further mentioned:
“So we feel really good about it. […] I think the game is eagerly anticipated both internally and externally. We know that Rockstar seeks perfection. I never claim success before it occurs. I’m fond of saying arrogance is the enemy of continued success, so we’re all running scared and looking over our shoulders and we know that the competition is not asleep. Our whole organization is super excited.”
Well, big studios always delay games before the release date, and it should not come as a surprise. If we go back in time, games like Batman: Arkham Knight and Uncharted 4 were delayed just weeks before being released. Even a recent release like Assassin’s Creed: Shadows also faced a significant delay. This mostly happens due to last-minute polishing to deliver a solid game.
However, former Rockstar Games technical director Obbe Vermeij revealed that if the company decided on a delayed release for GTA 6, we would not know for half the year. Vermeij said in an interview that the decision to postpone GTA 4 was made four months or so before the original release date.
Vermeij also said, “GTA 6 will sell for 10 plus years, and there is no competition to worry about. They are not going to release the game until they’re 100% happy with it. No matter what it said in the trailer.”
Is GTA 6 Trailer 2 Delayed Due to Release Date Delay?
One thing that keeps us speculating about whether the next Grand Theft Auto is delayed or not is the announcement of the GTA 6 trailer 2. The GTA 6 videos page on its website changed recently, which many speculated was a move to add new screenshots from the game. Unfortunately, we have yet to get any new information about the game.
If we get a new trailer, it must contain the exact GTA 6 release date. This might be a reason behind the game’s further announcements. If we keep that in mind, Rockstar might not reveal the delay plans before May 2025 if GTA 6 is delayed! To address this announcement delay, plenty of studios are trying to adjust the release dates of their games.
It’s still not totally clear if GTA 6 will come out in Fall 2025 like Take-Two said. Rockstar keeps saying that’s the plan, and it looks like they are working hard. But making such a big game is really hard, and as Rockstar has delayed games before, anything is possible.
Right now, all we want is to play in GTA 6’s Vice City again, with all the new-gen upgrades. We don’t know for sure if it will be ready in Fall 2025 or if it will take a bit longer. Only the people at Rockstar know for sure.
That said, what are your thoughts on GTA 6 being delayed? Do you think Grand Theft Auto 6 is coming in 2026? Do tell us in the comments below.
