Has GTA 6 Been Delayed Again? Latest Update

Grand Theft Auto 6.

It's the most anticipated video game of all time. Make no doubt about it, this game is going to smash records when it comes out. We're talking an insane amount of money, with Rockstar projected to make an eye-watering $3 billion from first year sales alone (in reality, that number could end up going much higher).

The development of GTA 6 has been nothing short of chaotic, though. The story reportedly got rejected on 3 separate occasions before it was finally settled on, while co-founder and lead writer at Rockstar Dan Houser made an unexpected exit from the company back in 2020. And since then, there have been countless internal delays and conflicts, with the latest official pushback publicly announced just a couple of months ago back in May.

When news broke that GTA 6's original release plan for 2025 had been scrapped, social media went into meltdown. Die-hard fans of the franchise were not happy about it, with many questioning how pushbacks could still be happening 12 years after the release of GTA V. What was once a well-loved meme — Rockstar's continuous delaying of GTA 6 is something of a popular gag on Reddit and YouTube — had now turned sour.

Rockstar made an official statement on their website to clear everything up: GTA 6 is delayed and will now come out on 26 May, 2026. Since then, we've had no additional updates from the company, either, so it's safe to assume that everything is on track. At least for now.

Not the news fans were hoping for. But in the grand scheme of things, what's another year? We've waited this long already, so if Rockstar needs that extra bit of time to make everything perfect, you can't exactly fault them for it.

The people at Rockstar do need to be careful. They're marketing geniuses and some even believe the conspiracy theory that all of these "delays" have been nothing more than a clever hype strategy to keep cranking up the demand. If so, they're playing the long game extremely well, but it could go off the rails if GTA fans start running out of patience.

We already know that console sales have plummeted over the past year, with both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S experiencing major slumps. Ideally, Rockstar don't want to end up in a position where GTA 6 enters a dying console market where hype levels for the game just aren't what they were before — and this is a very realistic possibility if the game eventually gets pushed back again.

For now, everything is good and the recent releases of brand-new GTA 6 trailers have even helped get the sceptics back on board (from what we've seen of Jason and Lucia so far, it looks like another potential classic). Rockstar needs to make sure that the 2026 deadline is met, though, both for the company's sake and the well-being of fans.

That's the big question on everybody's mind, and although there's nothing concrete yet, most expect GTA 6 to retail anywhere from $60 to $90. There's even some speculation that — strap tight — GTA 6 could hit the market at $100 or potentially even higher, making it the most expensive video game of all time. This wouldn't be that much of a shock, especially as Rockstar knows it could get away with charging $100 for its new flagship game. After all, with over a decade of hype behind it, we know for sure that most GTA fans wouldn't think twice about shelling out $100 to get their hands on the game.

Rockstar keeps everything tightly under wraps at their studios, so not much is known about what the GTA 6 storyline actually is. However, based on the trailers and marketing materials released so far, we do know some things. The story is based around Jason (a former soldier) and Lucia (recently released from prison) who are in a relationship together. It's very "Bonnie and Clyde" inspired and will follow the two protagonists as they navigate Vice City, a place that GTA fans already know and love. What will happen as the story unfolds remains to be seen, although we might find out a little bit more if any future trailers (or leaks) come out before the game officially drops.

It's an absolute guarantee that GTA 6 will have some type of "Online Mode". Modern gaming is all about multiplayer, with so many of today's gamers grinding online instead of playing single-player, so for Rockstar to not release a compatible online mode for GTA 6 would be nothing short of insane (GTA V's online mode reportedly makes in-and-around $500 million every year). But at this moment in time, very little is known about it.

There's a growing theory that Rockstar might even opt to release GTA 6 in two different formats: story-only and story with an additional online mode, as was the case with Red Dead Redemption 2. It would certainly make sense, as GTA's fanbase has typically been split between story-lovers and online mode fanatics, so this is definitely something to keep an eye on.

If you're one of the millions of GTA fans around the world, just hold on a little longer, because GTA 6 is officially on the way, albeit much later than expected. Just before summer 2026, you should be able to get your hands on it, whether you're playing on PS5 or Xbox Series X/S. As for the PC gamers out there, you will (as always) have to wait until a year or two after GTA 6's release before it officially comes out on PC. Based on what we've seen so far, the hype will indeed be worth it, though, so let's hope there are no further delays from Rockstar between now and 2026.