Analysts have warned that the GTA VI delay could impact the gaming market as a whole, following news that Rockstar’s next release won’t come until 2026.
It was announced earlier this month that Rockstar Games has decided to delay the release of Grand Theft Auto VI from 2025 to 26 May, 2026.
With GTA VI expected to be one of the most expensive pieces of entertainment ever released, it’s left some wondering what that could mean for the games economy throughout 2025.
GTA is one of the few games, alongside EA Sports FC and Animal Crossing, that reaches demographics outside of gamer communities.
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Even if you’ve never picked up a game controller in your life, you’ve probably heard of GTA and might be curious about the new release.
It’s a certified system seller, judging by the fact that GTA V still sells incredibly well to this day.
With this in mind, analyst firm Ampere Analysis estimates that the delay to GTA VI will affect the console market by $2.7 billion. If people aren’t tempted to pick up a new console for the new game, the units won’t be shifted.
“This long-rumoured delay to GTA VI will have a material negative impact on the console market scale in 2025 in terms of games sales volume and value,” reports Ampere Analysis. “And in terms of PS5 and Xbox Series adoption and upgrading activity.”
It reckons that around 21 million PS5s and Xbox Series consoles were projected to sell during 2025 in anticipation of the GTA VI release, but this number will now move back to 2026 ahead of the May launch.
It’s not all bad, though, as Ampere also reports that spending intended for GTA VI is now diverted towards other releases marked for 2025.
“For the rest of the console industry, with no blanket coverage of GTA VI, publishers will be able to raise awareness for their new titles and compete more effectively over this year’s holiday season. Some of that spend earmarked for GTA VI will be diverted to other new releases.”
Some big AAA releases planned for the latter half of 2025 include Ghost of Yōtei, Marathon, and Borderlands 4.
Grand Theft Auto VI will release on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on 26 May, 2026.
Topics: GTA, GTA 6, Rockstar Games, Grand Theft Auto, Take-Two