GTA 6 release date will not be pushed back again, insist Rockstar owners

The release date for Grand Theft Auto VI will not be pushed back again according to the CEO of Take-Two, the parent company of developer Rockstar Games.

In an interview with CNBC, Strauss Zelnick was asked what his "level of conviction" was that the highly-anticipated crime sim will be released in May 2026 — to which he responded: "Very, very high, obviously."

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The sequel to GTA V, it marks the eighth main game in the iconic GTA series, which also includes Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas alongside its Roman numerical instalments.

GTA VI had originally been set for release in "fall 2025", however earlier this year Rockstar Games confirmed that the project would not be available to play until next spring.

It will mark the series' return to Vice City, a fictionalised version of Miami, and will focus around two protagonists: Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, with a story that has been described as "heavily inspired" by US outlaws Bonnie and Clyde.

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While Zelnick was eager to assure fans that GTA VI will be released on schedule, he added that Take-Two wants to avoid "pumping up" expectations around the long-awaited follow-up to 2013's GTA V.

Despite this, he added that "Rockstar's whole stock in trade is to have these extraordinary expectations, and still to beat them. I know that's their goal. I know it's gonna be an amazing game. The rest we'll see in the fullness of time."

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The recently-released second trailer for GTA VI garnered close to half a billion views on the first day of its release across various platforms. You can watch it below.

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter