Report: GTA 6 could be delayed to 2026 as development is "falling behind"

gamesradar.com:

GTA 6 could be delayed to 2026, per Kotaku.

Just days after a report surfaced in which multiple Rockstar developers expressed concern about the company's return to office mandate and its potential effects on the sequel, Kotaku reports that production has fallen behind and could lead to a substantial delay.

According to the report, the current plan internally is still to release GTA 6 in "early 2025," but it's "becoming more and more likely" that a delay will push it to late 2025 or even 2026.

It isn't precisely clear from the reporting why production is "falling behind," but it's enough to give Rockstar some worry about hitting its Spring 2025 target. It's said that a Fall 2025 release date is now "more plausible and feasible." Additionally, this production setback is reportedly a big reason Rockstar is pushing its employees to return to in-office work in the final stretch of GTA 6's development.

It's worth noting that, anecdotally and according to Kotaku, Rockstar is known to wait until "the last minute" to make changes or alter plans, and then of course it takes time to coordinate with PR and communications teams on an announcement and timing, so even if we get a new trailer reiterating the announced 2025 release window soon, there's really no assurance that GTA 6 won't be delayed further down the road.

Meanwhile, Rockstar developers, who typically don't make the decisions to change release dates, are worried that the mandatory return to office will cause employees who are unable or unwilling to leave remote work to simply quit and throw more hurdles in the road.

I've reached out to Rockstar and will update this article if I hear back.

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Rockstar says it is "seeking perfection" for GTA 6 and will release it when it's "optimized creatively."