Take-Two CEO Hints at Original GTA 6 Release Window

Summary

Take-Two boss says Grand Theft Auto 6 delay is "less than six months."
The CEO's statement seemingly confirms the title was originally targeting a late November or early December release.
Grand Theft Auto 6 was initially set to launch in Fall 2025, but will now release on May 26, 2026.

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has discussed the recent Grand Theft Auto 6 delay, giving fans a strong indication that the title's original release window was likely late November or early December. During a new interview, Zelnick briefly discussed Grand Theft Auto 6's new release date and noted that it is a "pretty short delay." The CEO then went on to state that it is less than six months from its original launch date.

In December 2023, Rockstar Games shocked the world with the stunning first trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6. While its initial reveal simply stated that the title would be released in 2025, Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games, would later narrow down its release window to Fall 2025. As the months went by, Rockstar remained quiet on the title, revealing no new information, screenshots, or footage. With rumors of a potential delay swirling, the studio confirmed the unfortunate news earlier this month that Grand Theft Auto 6 had been delayed and will now launch on May 26, 2026.

Games to play during the GTA 6 delay period

With Grand Theft Auto 6 Delayed, Gamers Can Kill Time By Playing These 3 Games

Grand Theft Auto 6 is now a year away, but fans can scratch their GTA itch with these three similar yet unique games.

Posts

By Paolo Josiel Arias

Grand Theft Auto 6 Delay Is a "Short" One

While the delay seemed like a huge setback, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has now said that it is actually "less than six months." In a new interview with CNBC (via @videotechuk_), Zelnick said the delay is "a short one," before noting that, historically, when Rockstar has set a specific date, they do not delay it even further. Zelnick's comments on the delay being less than six months seemingly confirm that Rockstar initially aimed to release Grand Theft Auto 6 in late November or early December, based on the fact that it is now launching in the final days of May 2026.

The disappointing yet expected delay has led to concerns that Grand Theft Auto 6 could be delayed yet again as its May 2026 release date rolls around. This wouldn't be out of the ordinary for Rockstar, as the studio previously delayed its most recent title, Red Dead Redemption 2, twice before its worldwide launch on October 26, 2018. However, as Zelnick notes in his recent interview with CNBC, Rockstar has a solid track record of sticking to release dates when they are set. With a whole year of development time left for the title, everybody has their fingers crossed that Grand Theft Auto 6 doesn't receive any further delays.

After 500+ days of silence, Take-Two and Rockstar are finally giving fans a peek into what has been going on behind the scenes. Zelnick also recently revealed the development timeline for Grand Theft Auto 6, something fans have been speculating on for many years now. According to the CEO, development on the highly anticipated title began "in earnest" in 2020, but the executive's use of the phrase "in earnest" suggests that pre-production likely began in either 2018 or 2019, shortly after the hugely successful launch of Red Dead Redemption 2.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image