It’s no exaggeration to say thatGrand Theft Auto 6is one of the most anticipated games of all time. In spite of the fact that Rockstar Games has only released a single trailer for the open-world crime simulator, it’s already generated enough interest on social media sites like YouTube to rival even the most popular of video games. Rockstar and its parent company, Take-Two Interactive, confirmed quite some time ago thatGrand Theft Auto 6will be released in 2025. However, the marketing for the game has been practically non-existent. Although it is supposedly less than 12 months away from hitting store shelves, Rockstar has been completely silent aboutGTA 6, for better or for worse.
In a recent interview,Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnickstated that he is confident in Rockstar’s plans to releaseGrand Theft Auto 6this year. He did, however, admit that there’s always a risk of slippage, so he wasn’t willing to speak in absolutes. Even ifGTA 6doesn’t make it in time, the announcement of its release date will no doubt be one of the biggest gaming news stories this year. That said, in the event that the game does actually get pushed back to 2026, as Zelnick said it might, its delay will likely have major repercussions on not just Rockstar’s quarterly earnings, but on the video game industry at large.
A Potential GTA 6 Delay Would Have a Big Impact on the Gaming Industry
If GTA 6 Gets Pushed Back into 2026, Several 2025 Games Will Likely Get Release Dates
The first thing that gamers should probably expect in the wake of aGTA 6delay is a surge of release date announcements for upcoming AAA games. Several reports from the last few weeks have alleged thatmany major game publishers are actively waiting for Rockstar to make a movewithGTA 6so that they can set release dates for their own titles accordingly. Apparently, some developers are even willing to push their games back to 2026 ifGTA 6ends up encroaching on their projected release windows.
Frankly, it’s not surprising that a lot of companies are seemingly hesitant to release their games alongsideGrand Theft Auto 6. After all, any entertainment product that launches within proximity of Rockstar’s blockbuster title will almost certainly be overshadowed by it. IfGTA 6does get pushed into 2026, though, it’s reasonable to assume that many games that arecurrently targeting a 2026 launch windowwill also be delayed as a result. Several games that are supposed to come out next year, likeFable,Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and thePrince of Persia: Sands of Timeremake, could be affected because of this.
Without GTA 6, The Competition For 2025’s GOTY Would Become Much More Competitive
SinceGrand Theft Auto 6will probably be one of the most critically-acclaimed games of the decade, it’s worth noting that any potential delays to it may impact people’sGame of the Year picks for 2025, as well. Given Rockstar’s reputation, there’s little reason to believe thatGrand Theft Auto 6won’t be a GoTY contender. Almost every mainlineGTAinstallment up to this point has been universally acclaimed, and even Rockstar’s other releases, such asRed Dead Redemption 2, have been regarded as genre-defining masterpieces. IfGTA 6doesn’t come out this year, the judges at The Game Awards are going to have a much harder time determining the best game of 2025.
Rockstar Could Fill in Any Possible Gaps in Its 2025 Release Schedule With Other Titles
AGrand Theft Auto 6delay would leave a wide gap in Rockstar’s 2025 release schedule, but the company could fill it up with an additionalGTA Onlineupdate or two. If Rockstar currently has the resources to do so, it could even release aGTA: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition-styleremaster ofGTA 4for modern consoles in the meantime. This delay would also give Rockstar the perfect opportunity to bringGTA 5to the Switch 2 in late 2025. However, only time will tell if any of these things end up happening.
Grand Theft Auto 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.Jason and Lucia have always known the deck is stacked against them. But when an easy score goes wrong, they find themselves on the darkest side of the sunniest place in America, in the middle of a criminal conspiracy stretching across the state of Leonida — forced to rely on each other more than ever if they want to make it out alive.
