Presenting its annual results, Take-Two narrows GTA VI from "2025" to fall 2025. Strauss Zelnick says he is highly confident. The rumoured 2026 delay is dismissed, for now.
Sources variety.com · ign.com
Until now the only official hint was "2025", shown at the end of the trailer. On 16 May 2024 Take-Two Interactive tightened the schedule: according to Variety, Grand Theft Auto VI is now planned for fall 2025. The news came with fourth-quarter and fiscal 2024 results, a quarter marked by a $2.9 billion loss, Variety also reports.
IGN asked CEO Strauss Zelnick about the risk of a delay. His answer: "We do feel highly confident that we'll deliver [Grand Theft Auto VI] in fall of 2025." Take-Two says its financial outlook is built on this date. Rumours had pointed to a slip into 2026, notably after internal tension at Rockstar over return-to-office policy, according to IGN.
Fall is not a date. No month, no price, no edition. IGN reminds readers the game is announced for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S with no PC version at launch. For a player hoping to book leave, it was barely more precise than "2025".
The precision is not idle. Take-Two builds its revenue forecasts on GTA VI, and every word said on an earnings call is weighed by investors as much as by players. Variety also points to the contrast with the loss posted for the quarter: the game is expected to be the great turnaround of the following fiscal year.
The promise did not hold. Rockstar delayed GTA VI to 26 May 2026, then to 19 November 2026. The game arrives on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with preload on 12 November, PEGI 18, at €79.99 for the standard edition and €99.99 for Ultimate. Everything is on the release page.
This announcement gave the schedule a season, and commentators a deadline to watch at every earnings call. Zelnick's words were strong, but they illustrate a rule we will see again: until Rockstar announces its own date, a publisher's forecast remains a forecast.
Sources variety.com · ign.com
By Solange Rocheval · VI Countdown newsroom, OKALAM Studio