Rockstar Games has officially announced that GTA 6 will be delayed until May 26, 2026 for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, with new revelations about the female character Lucía and the studio’s record-breaking sales ambitions.
GTA 6: Release date finally confirmed… but not as expected
Are you looking forward to GTA 6 coming out at the end of next year? Well, you’ll have to wait a little longer. The long-awaited news is here: Rockstar Games has just announced that its next blockbuster will not be released in fall 2025, but on May 26, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
The news hit the internet like a bombshell, even though many gamers had secretly been expecting it. Rockstar’s history of postponements is nothing new in the video game industry. This time, the Californian studio took the initiative and confirmed a delay that had already been widely predicted by the community.
Rockstar Games explains the delay
As usual, the developers justify this further delay with their desire for perfection. In their official press release, they apologize to the fans: “We regret that the delay is beyond your expectations. But they are sticking to their goal: to deliver a product that lives up to the astronomical expectations of this sixth opus.
A culture of extreme fine-tuning
“With every game we release, our goal has always been to exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception,” they explain. This philosophy of taking your time has been deeply embedded in Rockstar’s DNA from the very beginning. Do you remember RDR2? That game was also delayed, but the end result silenced all critics.
Sensational profit forecasts
Despite the postponement, analysts remain very optimistic about the game’s commercial potential. The forecasts speak for themselves:
– Over EUR 1 billion in pre-orders alone
– Potential sales of EUR 3.2 billion in the first year
– A retail price that could rise to EUR 100 or more
A market that will wait if necessary
Investor confidence is no exaggeration. Think about it: GTA 5 has sold over 200 million copies since 2013. The online mode is still generating millions of copies every month almost ten years after its release. A delay of a few months is unlikely to change that.
The expected innovations in GTA 6
The only official trailer released in December 2023 has already given us some interesting clues. The return to Vice City will be a chance for Rockstar to modernize its biting satire of contemporary America.
Lucía, the first playable female character in the series
The real revolution will come from Lucía, the first female protagonist in the main series. This strong-willed thief could be a major narrative breakthrough for the franchise. We can already imagine the narrative possibilities that a female perspective could bring to the GTA universe.
What lies ahead?
Fans will have to wait another 15 months before they can take to the streets of Vice City. The question on everyone’s mind now is: when will we see new content?
Rockstar is being very discreet about its intentions. After more than a year of silence since the first trailer, it would be surprising if it didn’t make up for this delay with a new trailer in the next few months. So far there has been no official announcement about the PC version. A traditional console exclusive for a few months seems likely, as was the case with GTA 5.
Either way, Rockstar’s machine is running. And when it shows up, it’s always something extraordinary, even if the wait is sometimes long and painful.