The video game world just got hit with a bombshell. Rockstar Games, the powerhouse behind the Grand Theft Auto series, announced on May 2, 2025, that Grand Theft Auto VI, the most hyped game in years, won’t hit shelves until May 26, 2026. Originally slated for a fall 2025 launch, the delay has sent shockwaves through an industry already grappling with shaky console sales and rising costs. This isn’t just a bummer for fans—it’s a seismic shift for publishers, developers, and console makers banking on the game to juice up a sluggish market.
The announcement came straight from Rockstar’s website, where the studio apologized for the setback, saying it needed extra time to deliver the “level of quality” fans expect. No specifics on what’s holding things up, but the move aligns with Rockstar’s history of pushing back releases to polish their sprawling, cinematic worlds. Grand Theft Auto V, the series’ last juggernaut, dropped in 2013 and has since racked up over 200 million copies sold, making it one of the best-selling games ever. Expectations for VI are sky-high, with analysts projecting it could pull in $1 billion in pre-orders alone and $3.2 billion in its first year.
The delay’s ripple effects are already shaking things up. The game was expected to be a tide that lifts all boats, driving console sales for Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S, both of which have seen prices climb due to tariff hikes and a 1% dip in console revenue last year. Industry number-crunchers had pegged Grand Theft Auto VI as the spark to ignite consumer spending, especially after 2024’s $184.3 billion global gaming revenue showed only a measly 0.2% bump from the year before. Without it, 2025’s holiday season looks like it could be a ghost town for hardware sales.
Publishers are scrambling, too. Many had been tiptoeing around Grand Theft Auto VI’s original fall window, terrified of launching their own titles against a game one analyst called “a huge meteor.” Releasing alongside it would’ve been like tossing a pebble into a tsunami. Now, with the 2025 slot wide open, studios are eyeing last-minute releases to fill the gap, though some heavy-hitters slated for 2026 are already hunting for new dates to avoid the new May launch. Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar’s parent company, saw its shares drop 8% in early trading on May 3, a stark reminder of how much Wall Street had baked the game’s success into its forecasts.
Rockstar’s decision also hints at a shift behind the scenes. The studio has faced heat for crunch-heavy work cultures in the past, with reports of 100-hour weeks during Red Dead Redemption 2’s development in 2018. This time, sources close to the project say management is pushing to avoid that grind, opting for a delay over forcing developers into brutal overtime. It’s a move that could ease the strain on staff but leaves the industry in a lurch, especially smaller studios that might’ve been counting on the game’s halo effect to boost their own sales.
Take-Two, for its part, is trying to soften the blow. On May 2, CEO Strauss Zelnick told investors the company still expects “sequential increases” in bookings for 2026 and 2027, leaning on other big titles like Borderlands 4 and Mafia: The Old Country to keep the lights on. But Grand Theft Auto VI was the crown jewel, set to return players to Vice City—a fictional Miami packed with crime, neon, and a Bonnie-and-Clyde-style duo led by a female protagonist named Lucia, a first for the series. The game’s 90-second trailer, released in December 2023, racked up over 100 million views in a day, a testament to its grip on gamers’ imaginations.
For now, the industry’s left holding its breath. Other publishers might seize the chance to drop games before year’s end, but the absence of Grand Theft Auto VI in 2025 could mean fewer consoles sold, tighter budgets for smaller studios, and a leaner holiday season. Rockstar’s betting on perfection, but the wait just got longer—and the stakes just got higher.