GTA 6 Could Be Delayed Into 2026

thegamer.com:

Grand Theft Auto fans who think that 2025 already seems too far away for GTA 6 might want to brace themselves, as a recent report claims that it could be delayed into 2026 due to development slowing down.

After years of rumours and leaks, the end of 2023 was a major moment for GTA fans as Rockstar finally revealed what is, without a doubt, one of the most highly-anticipated games of all time. There was one major catch to that reveal, though, as many fans were gutted to see that GTA 6 was aiming for a 2025 release and not 2024 as was heavily rumoured.

GTA 6 being more than a year away was a tough pill to swallow back in December, but it's one that's going to be even tougher to get over now, as a recent report from Kotaku claims that it could be delayed from its planned 2025 release date and end up launching in 2026 instead. If not that heavy of a delay, it could end up being released in late 2025 if production doesn't pick up.

Kotaku's sources state that GTA 6's launch is currently planned for early 2025, but that development on the game is "falling behind", which has Rockstar's leadership worried about the game slipping into late 2025 or even 2026. This is reportedly causing the studio to mandate that works return to the office in April, something that was originally shared by Bloomberg earlier this month.

As of the time of writing, Kotaku reports that Rockstar is "still aiming" for GTA 6 to launch in Spring 2025, with a release early in the year being the ultimate goal. Sources say that an early 2025 launch seems a little unlikely and that releasing later into the year is the most likely option right now.

Bloomberg's report from last month also claimed that GTA 6 is currently in the "final stages" of development, which makes such a big delay seem a little extreme.

Kotaku suggests that 2026 is the worst-case scenario for GTA 6's delay and that Rockstar is viewing it as an "emergency button" if development doesn't pick up over the next few months like the mandated