It’s been a long wait, but developer Rockstar Games has finally announced the release date of Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA VI) in an official blog post. According to the announcement, the eagerly awaited game won’t be released until May 26th, 2026:

“Hi everyone,

Grand Theft Auto VI is now set to release on May 26, 2026.

We are very sorry that this is later than you expected. The interest and excitement surrounding a new Grand Theft Auto has been truly humbling for our entire team. We want to thank you for your support and your patience as we work to finish the game.

With every game we have released, the goal has always been to try and exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception. We hope you understand that we need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.

We look forward to sharing more information with you soon.

Sincerely,
Rockstar Games”

Fans of the immensely popular franchise now have a date to mark in red on their calendars—but that’s the only positive aspect of this news.

The GTA community actually had their fingers crossed for an earlier release. Rockstar’s initial press release had slated the game’s release for 2025, and the CEO of Take-Two (owner of Rockstar Games) reported earlier this year that GTA VI would release in “fall of calendar 2025.” On the other hand, rumors have been circulating since fall 2024 that development of Grand Theft Auto VI would be delayed and that the game wouldn’t actually launch until mid-2026.

This means GTA fans will have to wait another six months before they can play the highly anticipated title. GTA VI will initially only be released for the Sony PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Xbox Series X/S. However, a PC version is expected to come at a later date.

Shares of Take-Two fell significantly in value—by about 10 percent—immediately after the 2026 release date was announced. No surprise there given that the revenue GTA VI was expected to bring in has now been postponed to the next fiscal year.