In mid-May 2025, two weeks after the delay, Take-Two says it is confident about the May 26, 2026 date. Analysts put the cost of the slip for the industry at $2.7 billion.
Photo: Rockstar Games
Sources ign.com · nordic.ign.com
Two weeks after pushing GTA VI from fall 2025 to May 26, 2026, Take-Two is trying to reassure the market. According to the IGN Daily Fix show, CEO Strauss Zelnick says he is confident Rockstar Games will hit the new date. The statement answers a simple worry: if a game has slipped once, can it slip again?
The delay disappointed players, but probably retailers even more, IGN reports. Analysts at Ampere estimate the slip will cost the games industry around $2.7 billion. The money is not gone, the outlet notes: it is simply moved to the following year, the one in which GTA VI ships. In other words, a whole sector is counting on this game to balance its books.
May 26 falls four days after The Mandalorian & Grogu opens in theaters on May 22, 2026. In a feature, IGN Nordic sees the "Barbenheimer" of games versus movies: the first Star Wars film in six and a half years against the first GTA in twelve and a half. The site has no doubt about the winner: GTA VI, already "huge", is the safe bet, while the film is less so. That is an opinion, not a figure. The sources also say nothing about what underpins Zelnick's confidence, whether stock, marketing or pre-orders; his promise remains a promise. Our release page compares the announced dates.
The confidence on display was not enough. On November 6, 2025, Take-Two announced another delay: GTA VI launches on November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with preloading on November 12, a PEGI 18 rating, €79.99 for the standard edition and €99.99 for Ultimate. No PC version has been announced. The Goodtime State collector's edition, at €399.99 without the game, and GTA VI: The Album, on November 19, have been added since.
May 15, 2025 mostly shows that GTA VI has become an economic calendar issue, not just a player affair: retailers, analysts and rivals are building plans around a single date. For anyone following the release, the lesson is to read a CEO's assurance as an intention until the date is actually met.
Sources ign.com · nordic.ign.com
By Solange Rocheval · VI Countdown newsroom, OKALAM Studio