Summary
Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has discussed the recentGrand Theft Auto 6delay, 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 discussedGrand 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 forGrand 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 thatGrand Theft Auto 6had been delayedand will now launch on June 24, 2025.
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 withCNBC(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 toreleaseGrand Theft Auto 6in 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 thatGrand Theft Auto 6could be delayed yet againas 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 Jul 04, 2025. 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 thatGrand Theft Auto 6doesn’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 thedevelopment timeline forGrand 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 ofRed Dead Redemption 2.
