Rockstar’s upcoming sandbox Grand Theft Auto VI still has a way to go until its planned release sometime next year, and multiple reports speaking to the game’s launch schedule–including possible delays–are now in conflict.
According to Kotaku, Rockstar was afraid GTA VI may miss its 2025 release window, forcing the studio to consider pivoting to a 2026 release date. Following that, the Kotaku report updated its story, saying that “while early 2025 was at one point possible, it’s no longer the target for Grand Theft Auto VI’s launch.”
Earlier this week, Bloomberg pointed out that Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two, had its stocks fall by 5.2% because the report stated that GTA VI is behind schedule and could be delayed to 2026. The Bloomberg report explained that even though GTA VI is behind schedule, it’s to be expected given how massive the game is supposed to be. “Video games,” the report suggested “are always behind schedule.”
Most recently, however, Insider Gaming has reported that sources close to the project believe GTA VI is “on schedule,” and any signs pointing to a delay right now are “pure conjecture.”
As conflicting reports come in for what is bound to be one of the biggest video game launches of all time, don’t be surprised if a delay happens down the line, given Rockstar’s long history of delays. For example, GTA V was initially scheduled to come out in the Spring of 2013 but was delayed until September of that year. The same thing happened with its most recent game, Red Dead Redemption II. The game was initially supposed to drop in 2017 but was delayed until Spring 2018 and again to its ultimate launch date in Fall 2018.
For more GTA news, check out our story covering how an analyst said that GTA VI is the most important game release in the industry’s history.