Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto VI will be a generational title, much like Grand Theft Auto 5 before it. After years of waiting, Rockstar finally confirmed that it’s coming out in 2025. But recent reports suggest that the wait might be longer than expected.
In late 2023, Rockstar unveiled GTA 6 captivating fans with the promise of returning to Vice City, a fictional representation of Miami, Florida. The announcement has since set new records and continues to rack up views by the thousands. However, Kotaku claims that sources close to the development have raised concerns that the game is “falling behind” schedule, hinting at a potential delay into late 2025 or even 2026.
The crux of the issue appears to be Rockstar’s mandate for a return to office work. In February, Bloomberg highlighted that Rockstar employees were required to resume in-person work, a move that has reportedly led to dissatisfaction among staff. It aims to bolster productivity and security as the game enters its final development stages. But it has also sparked fears of renewed “crunch” culture within the company, risking employee burnout and potential staff departures.
I'm not even sure what to make of the Kotaku article on GTA 6… No info is new and it seems to be just trying to stir the pot based on Bloomberg's reporting.
— Tom Henderson (@_Tom_Henderson_) March 22, 2024
Rockstar’s push for a return to office work in April is a significant factor contributing to the potential delay of GTA 6. The decision, driven by concerns over security and quality, has reportedly resulted in development on the game starting to “fall behind.” Amidst these challenges, Rockstar’s internal goal remains a spring 2025 release. But it’s believed that a fall 2025 launch is more feasible, as per Kotaku’s sources. Specifically, the same sources are referring to a potential 2026 release for GTA 6 as an “emergency” option.
Rockstar has a history of waiting until the “last minute” to alter plans, meaning the next trailer might not immediately reflect any delay.
Previously, Rockstar confirmed that GTA 5would be out by Spring 2013 only to delay it to September 17 the same year. Red Dead Redemption 2 suffered from a similar setback, with Rockstar delaying it twice from Autumn 2017 to Spring 2018 and eventually, October 26, 2018.
GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2are some of the biggest commercial and critical hits of all time, so a delay isn’t always doom and gloom.
It’s also worth noting that Tom Henderson, one of the earliest and most credible sources of GTA 6‘s 2025 release window, has specifically referred to Kotaku’s report as an attempt to “stir the pot.”
Nevertheless, as Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar seeks perfection for a game that they themselves have described as something that will set a new creative benchmark, it’s best that we leave the award-winning developers to their own devices.
While a delay is disappointing, the resulting product and how Rockstar created it is what’s important.
As long as Rockstar doesn’t subject employees to unfair deadlines, most wouldn’t mind waiting for at least one more year to play as Jason and Lucia.
Curiously, if Rockstar does delay GTA 6 to 2026, that would mean those who bought a PS5 Pro to play the open-world crime sim will have to wait two years to enjoy it. This would negatively impact Sony’s bottomline and make the PS5 Pro an even tougher sell than it already is following the most recent revelations.
