GTA VI was postponed (again) and will now be launch November 19, 2026. This is six months after the previously announced launch date of May 26, 2026, and about a year after it was originally scheduled to launch in the fall of 2025.
This means that there will be a 13-year gap between us. GTA V And GTA VI when the latter will eventually hit shelves, but according to Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick, that's how long it takes to achieve perfection.
Discussing the US publisher's latest delayed second-quarter 2026 earnings report, Zelnick said Grand Theft Auto had become a “standard bearer” for the company and stated that GTA V is arguably still the most technologically advanced game on the market, despite being released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Of course, it has received extensive updates and has changed hardware generations in recent years.
Without directly commenting on internal Rockstar employees –which was recently accused of union-busting by a group of sacked employees in the UKZelnick praised the studio's culture and said the entire team is “working hard to strive for excellence.”
“GTA Vas you know, has been a standard-bearer not only for our company, but for the entire industry for three generations of consoles, and to this day, I would say, is still the most technologically advanced game on the market, despite being over a decade old. And this does not happen by chance. So Rockstar's culture is a performance culture. Take-Two's overall culture, which is reflected in all of our labels, is a commitment to excellence, teamwork and kindness. And this recipe works very, very well,” Zelnick said.
“I can’t deny that at any time, if something doesn’t go the way we would like, there is some disappointment. But we are very good at shrugging it off, picking ourselves up and playing another day. And we have always done this. We have learned from things that don't go as well as we would like, and we strive to exceed all expectations, our own and those of our customers. And we honestly rarely fail, but we don't let that distract us because we just try harder, and I think that defines what Rockstar is doing now and what they're feeling now.”
Yesterday, Zelnick told IGN he is “very confident” that this is the last time GTA VI will be delayed, and confirmed that the extra runway will be used to ensure the highly anticipated sequel is “spectacular.”
Grand Theft Auto VI Delay Announced Along with 'Outstanding' Second Quarter Results
The delay was announced along with Take-Two Interactive. financial results for the second quarter ended September 30, 2025— in which Zelnick and other executives explained that the company was doing well.
Take-Two recorded net orders of $1.96 billion in the second quarter, significantly exceeding internal expectations.
“During this period, we had many achievements: 2K released three major games, including NBA 2K26, which set many records and generated unprecedented levels of in-game spending; our mobile business has significantly exceeded expectations thanks to our teams' unprecedented innovation in interactive services; and Grand Theft Auto Online continued to benefit from its highly engaged community,” Zelnick said.
The long-time CEO noted that Mafia: Old Country quickly exceeded internal expectations and confirmed Take-Two's belief that consumers still crave “premium, storytelling-driven experiences.”
Borderland 4 received a more mixed reception, with Zelinick praising the game for winning over critics and achieving the highest number of concurrent players on Steam in the franchise's history, while acknowledging that technical issues also dominated the conversation at launch. It's unclear how many copies it actually sold, but Zelnick stated that he remains confident that the shooter will “achieve strong sales throughout its lifespan.”
How did it become the norm? Grand Theft Auto V continues to expand its audience and has now surpassed 220 million lifetime sales. “Players continue to actively participate in Grand Theft Auto Online, which has added holiday quests and rewards, as well as new vehicles, community events and gear. GTA+ continues to increase its membership, achieving growth of more than 20 percent compared to last year,” Zelnick added.
Take-Two is confident Grand Craft Auto VI will achieve a “record launch” on the back of the overwhelming success of its predecessor. The company now expects to hit a record level of net orders in fiscal 2027, when the twice-delayed sequel hits shelves.
