GTA 6 Was Initially Set for Release Last Year but Experienced an 18-Month Delay

In an alternate universe, Grand Theft Auto 6 has been available for nearly a year. Take-Two’s CEO, Strauss Zelnick, recently touched on this hypothetical scenario during an interview reflecting on his career, revealing that Rockstar Games initially planned to release the highly anticipated sequel 18 months earlier than its current launch date.

“I think we’re about 18 months behind the original date,” he shared with podcaster David Senra in a video released over the weekend. This suggests that GTA 6 was originally aimed for a May 2025 launch, coinciding with titles like Doom: The Dark Ages and Elden Ring: Nightreign. When asked about the challenges of delaying such a lucrative title, Zelnick shifted the conversation to the ongoing success of GTA Online and the unifying power of social gaming, even mentioning that his mother plays Bridge online with strangers.

However, GTA 6 didn’t hit the shelves in May 2025. Its release was initially pushed to fall of that year, then to May 2026, and ultimately to November 19, 2026. The first trailer dropped in December 2023, with a follow-up trailer arriving in May 2025, which, according to Zelnick’s comments, aligns with the original intended release window.

While it remains uncertain if a third GTA 6 trailer will debut this month ahead of Take-Two’s earnings call, fans are certainly hoping for it. Rockstar’s marketing for the sequel is expected to ramp up over the summer and into the fall, but there are lingering concerns about the possibility of further delays (or even a third or fourth delay, based on Zelnick’s timeline).

“You’re sitting on the most valuable media property in the world, and everyone online is asking, ‘When’s GTA 6 coming out?’ How do you manage those timelines? The honest answer is, ‘I don’t know,’ right?” Senra remarked during the podcast. Zelnick, however, remained resolute. “Well, no. November 19. I do know.” Fans are hoping this assurance means the release is as solid as it can be for what could be the biggest video game launch in history.