GTA 6 Third Delay Already Happened, You Just Didn't Notice

Grand Theft Auto VI is now launching in November 2026 but fans are reluctant to believe it, fearing the worst for Rockstar’s next open-world game.

While GTA VI isn’t necessarily in development hell, there are hints that problems behind-the-scenes are preventing it from launching on time, with lay-offs and other issues plaguing the renowned gaming studio.

After Cyberpunk 2077, I think most gamers out there respect how long it takes to make a good game, and how nine out of 10 times, a delay is the right decision if the developer isn’t confident with the current product.

Grand Theft Auto fans have been just as understanding but still dismayed by the two delays we’ve had up to this point, fearing a third is on the way. However, what if I told you that the game has already been delayed three times by this point, and you just didn’t notice?

It's Been In Front of Us The Whole Time

Based on Rockstar Games’ earning calls, which are often used as a good indication of when the studio plans to launch a new game, GTA VI was originally scheduled to release in Q1 of 2025.

The game was then quietly pushed back to fall 2025, before later being delayed to May 2026 with this being the “first” widely reported delay.

That brings us to now, with the “second” delay recently pushing the game back to November 2026, a good year away at the time of writing.

Rockstar Games

So technically the game has been delayed three times by this point; the first one just wasn’t publicly announced as the initial release date hadn’t been shared until much later.

There’s a bit of room for error in this as again, that initial release date was devised from Rockstar’s earnings calls, but they’ve been fairly credible so it’s not out of the question that GTA VI was planned to launch much, much earlier before the company got more realistic.

While many fear the game will be delayed again to 2027, I think we’ll be okay. The delay this time around was far less drastic, and Rockstar’s wording implied it was merely to give the game a few more months of polish before being released to the masses.

I think GTA VI will launch in November 2026, and if it gets delayed again, I’ll eat my copy of GTA V.