Despite previously aiming for a late 2025 launch, Rockstar Games reportedly knew internally that Grand Theft Auto VI would likely be delayed well before it was made official. 

The next installment in the blockbuster franchise, first teased in 2023 with a record-shattering trailer, has been largely absent from the spotlight since, leaving fans eagerly awaiting updates and fueling ongoing speculation about its progress.

According to Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier, developers at Rockstar had long doubted the 2025 release window due to the project’s massive scale, tight timelines, and the studio’s commitment to healthier development practices.

“Nobody I’ve talked to at Rockstar has believed Fall 2025 was a real window for a very long time now,” Schreier shared on Bluesky, referencing the company’s deliberate move away from the “brutal crunch” that defined earlier releases like Red Dead Redemption 2 and GTA V.

While mandatory overtime hasn’t been entirely eliminated, Schreier emphasized that the current work environment is “night and day” compared to the studio’s previous cycles.

Rockstar’s cultural shift toward sustainable production appears to be one of the key reasons behind the internal expectation of delays and why the studio never rushed to reassure the public of its original timeline.

Now, the game has been officially moved to a release date of May 26, 2026, though some remain skeptical it will even meet that target.

As fans eagerly await a second trailer, some former Rockstar developers believe the hype machine doesn’t necessarily need another big push.

Another year of, “We got ____ before GTA 6.” 

For a title as highly anticipated as GTA VI, silence may be all the marketing it needs.