GTA 6 release date set for May 2026 as Rockstar's long-awaited open-world blockbuster is delayed out of this year

It's official – GTA 6 has a release date, but Rockstar Games has confirmed its upcoming open-world blockbuster won't be making its previously announced fall 2025 release window after all.

Instead, GTA 6 is planned to launch on May 26, 2026. Rockstar put out the news along with an apology on its Twitter account today, noting that it's "very sorry that this is later than you expected."

The statement continues: "The interest and excitement surrounding a new Grand Theft Auto has been truly humbling for our entire team. We want to thank you for your support and your patience as we work to finish the game.

"With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto 6 is no exception. We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve."

Rockstar rounds off the statement saying that "we look forward to sharing more information with you soon."

Even GTA 6 aside, it was clear even last year that 2025 was going to be a packed year for game releases, but there's no doubt that the next Grand Theft Auto game was the big one for many.

Back in February, the CEO of Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive, Strauss Zelnick, said "we feel really good" about the planned 2025 release, but acknowledged that "there's always a risk of slippage." Unfortunately, that's exactly what's happened.

Coincidentally, just this week, Borderlands 4 got its release date moved forward by 11 days, which prompted many to speculate that since Gearbox is also owned by Take-Two, perhaps this could help narrow down GTA 6's release date. Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford was quick to say that this wasn't the case, and later doubled down to say he had no "insider information about some other game launch."

Here's hoping that GTA 6 will be worth the wait when it's eventually here. At least we can officially mark our calendars now – there's just over a year to go. Hang in there, folks.

GTA 6 will sell "for 10+ years," and because "there is no competition" Rockstar is "not going to release the game until they're 100% happy with it," reckons former GTA dev.