GTA 6 shift was required for “perfection”
Instead of autumn 2025, GTA fans must now wait until May 2026. The shifting had Take Two shares crashed 8%-the greatest slump in years. Rockstar insists on perfection and CEO Zelnick defends the “painful but correct” decision.
Perfectionism at Rockstar: GTA VI only 2026
The game world has to be patient: As became known in early May, Grand Theft Auto 6 is now officially appeared on May 26, 2026, much later than originally planned. Rockstar Games justifies the shift with the claim to want to exceed the expectations of the fans. The shift hits Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games, financially hard.
After the announcement, the shares crashed by more than eight percent – the strongest decline in two and a half years. The title, which has already missed several deadlines, would probably have been the largest publication in 2025. Now he will only come onto the market almost a year later.
“Painful, but right”
The development history of GTA 6 is already exceptional. After years of speculation, Rockstar officially confirmed in February 2022 that the game was under development. In September of the same year, game scenes from unfinished versions on the Internet were leaked – an incident that journalists described as one of the greatest leaks in the history of the video game industry. The formal unveiling finally took place in December 2023. Grand Theft Auto 6: Rockstar Games shows the second trailer
In an interview with IGN Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick explained the reasons for the shift. “When we approached the completion of a title that strives for perfection, the needs for further fine tuning became clear,” said Zelnick. “In this case there was the possibility to ensure that Rockstar Games can realize his creative vision without restrictions. And of course I supported this approach.” Zelnick admitted that delays were painful for him personally. “Delays hurt me – how could it be otherwise? But the most important thing is to support the teams in their search for perfection,” he emphasized. In Take-Two’s recent annual report, he described the decision to give Rockstar more time for GTA 6 as “a worthy investment”.
Zelnick had already admitted in February that delays could never be excluded despite the autumn start date that was still planned at the time. “I think historically, when we have set a specific date, we were generally good at reaching it,” he said. GTA 6 is undoubtedly one of the hottest expected game publications in history.
His predecessor is only behind Minecraft and Tetris in terms of sold units. GTA is more than just popular – it is a cultural phenomenon. Since the publication of GTA 5 in 2013, the game has sold over 195 million copies and brought in more than $ 8.5 billion – more than every single film in the history of cinema.
