Why GTA 6 was delayed from spring 2025 to 2026, Take-Two CEO reveals

In the gaming world, the hype of GTA 6 is a never-ending phenomenon. And the hype is escalating in the midst of leaked pre-orders listing and upcoming official launch date in November.

In the growing buzz, some theories are surfacing that Grand Theft Auto VI might hit the wall once again amid surging speculation surrounding pre-orders for the highly-awaiting game.

In a recent interview with David Senra, the Take-Two Interactive executive confirmed the already decided launch date for GTA 6, which is on November 19, 2026.

According to Strauss Zelnick, the timeline for GTA 6 is not going to be changed this time and it is expected to arrive in late 2026 despite online rumors circulating on various platforms.

During the interview, Zelnick revealed that the highly-anticipated game was originally aimed for spring 2025, highlighting 18-months delay in its launch.

GTA 6 was “about 18 months behind the original date and internal expectations…not much more than that,” he said on the podcast.

Zelnick also discussed the challenges of managing timelines for projects like Grand Theft Auto 6. Given the scale and expectations surrounding the GTA 6 project, such delay is not considered significant.

He also explained that, in developing the most successful game, the priority is always the quality of final experience, rather than meeting dates and arbitrary schedules.

While there is high anticipation for the game, Zelnick confirms that the team is focused on delivering a high-quality experience rather than rushing the release.

The previous week, the internet was flooded with headlines showing the leaked pre-order listings. The following announcement comes after the online creators such as Frogboyx1Gamimh received emails from Best Buy on May 13.

The emails mentioned that users can pre-order physical copies of GTA 6 between May 18 and May 21.