Rockstar Delays Highly Anticipated ‘GTA VI’ for the 2nd Time

By Danial Martinus  •  in Games
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(source: Rockstar Games)

If you’re a fan of the games that have come from Rockstar, then you’re probably no stranger to delays. And if the headline above wasn’t clear enough, we’ll have to wait a little bit longer for the much-anticipated GTA VI, which has now been pushed to 19 November 2026.

This makes it the second delay to date, with the previous one pushing it from a 2025 release to May 2026.

Ah sh*t, here we go again

(source: Rockstar Games)

After facing an unexpected delay to May 2026, and now having it politely nudged to November 2026, fans of the franchise are understandably jaded at this point.

Some people have lived through multiple life milestones since the release of GTA V—from graduating high school, moving on to university, and then getting married and having children—and it’s absolutely no surprise. GTA V was released just over 12 years ago on 17 September 2013.

Rockstar’s announcement for the delay came with the usual apologetic charm we’ve come to expect.

“Hi everyone, Grand Theft Auto VI will now release on Thursday, November 19, 2026,” the announcement reads. “We are sorry for adding additional time to what we realise has been a long wait, but these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve.”

It’s basically the corporate equivalent to: “We know you’re pissed as hell but just wait, trust us.”

But to be fair, GTA VI is truly shaping up to be an absolute monster of a game. We’ll be seeing a full return to Vice City, now artfully reimagined as the state of Leonida. Plus, we can expect a lot of fun with the two protagonists, Lucia Caminos and Jason Duval. Still, patience is clearly wearing thin at this point.

The second delay puts the game smack dab in the middle of the holiday shopping season, which could be an intentional move to boost its sales on release. It also gives Rockstar more opportunities to tease us even further with screenshots and nuggets of lore for fans to obssess over.

(source: Rockstar Games)

But one thing that concerns people (delays aside) is the rapid pace at which current consoles like Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 are ageing.

By the time GTA VI comes out, we might already have a new generation of consoles on the horizon. In order for GTA VI to stay relevent at all, Rockstar needs to future-proof it.

Considering how long we’ve already been waiting for the game, it’s not that much of a stretch to say that… maybe your non-existent kids will be the first to play it. But GTA loyalists will wait, ever so patiently.

Why, you ask? Rockstar has proven that its titles are worth waiting for, with past GTA games, as well as the Red Dead Redemption franchise. They’re immersive and expansive, always polished, and incredibly well thought out.

We can all cry about the delays now, but come release day, we’ll definitely be happy we waited.

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