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Take-Two Interactive has delayed the release of the long-awaited next version of Grand Theft Auto until next year, sending shares in the US video games maker down 7 per cent in early trading.
The New York-based company said on Friday that Grand Theft Auto VI would be released in May 2026, later than its previously scheduled launch date of this autumn and pushing the launch into its next financial year.
The news wiped billions of dollars from Take-Two’s market value and will cast doubt on hopes that the console gaming market would return to growth this year after a protracted post-pandemic slump.
GTA VI, which features a Bonnie and Clyde-style criminal couple rampaging around Vice City, was projected to be the biggest entertainment launch of 2025. Some analysts forecasting it would generate $3bn in its first year on the market.
Strauss Zelnick, Take-Two’s chief executive, did not give a specific reason for the delay but said that “we remain steadfast in our commitment to excellence”.
In its own announcement, RockStar Games, the Take-Two subsidiary that created the GTA franchise, apologised and said it needed “extra time to deliver at the level of quality [players] expect and deserve”.
“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,” RockStar said.
“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.”
GTA VI has already been in development for more than a decade, following the release of the franchise’s previous instalment in 2013. No new footage from the game has been shown since its first trailer in December 2023.
RockStar is known among players for the cinematic ambition and polish of its blockbuster games — but also for the delays and tough working conditions that can accompany such creative aspirations.
“This long-rumoured delay will have a material negative impact on the console market scale in 2025,” said Piers Harding-Rolls, research director for games at Ampere Analysis, affecting sales of games and new consoles.
“It’s also a blow to the wider games sector this year, as console gaming was predicted to experience good performance in 2025 and be an engine for overall growth . . . We’ll be reviewing and adjusting our forecasts as a result.”
However, the news will come as a boon to other games publishers who had been fearing the blockbuster launch of GTA would make it hard for other titles to win attention.
Analysts at Newzoo had been expecting that the combination of GTA VI and Nintendo’s forthcoming Switch 2 console would drive 10 per cent growth in global console software revenues this year to $47.3bn, after sales dropped 4 per cent in 2024.
Nonetheless, the delay did not change Take-Two’s expectation of sequential increases in net bookings in the current and next fiscal year, the company said.