Rumors recently surfaced that Grand Theft Auto 6 could be pushed back as far as 2026. But now, a former Rockstar Games lead has further fueled fears that the next GTA installment might need a lot more time and preparation before it becomes available to the general public.
GTA 6 was officially announced in December 2023 and was initially scheduled to be released in late 2025 for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. But that estimate may no longer be entirely accurate—or even realistic—according to a Rockstar insider. Obbe Vermeij, the former Rockstar North technical director, reminded fans on Twitter/X that the decision to delay GTA 4 came just four months before the intended release date. “Any further and it’s hard to make the call,” he said. Think of Rockstar’s decision as a stressful quick time event—perform the action too soon or too late, and it’s lights-out for the character. This comes after GTA 4 publisher Take-Two expressed confidence that there would be no delays to the game’s release.
Vermeij further articulated Rockstar is “probably not in a position to determine whether they will hit 2025 until May-ish.” That means fans may need to wait another eight agonizing months before there’s any confirmation as to whether GTA 6 will be sticking to the original plan or delaying the release until the following year. However, Rockstar’s long-running franchise is most certainly worth the wait. Some fans will no doubt approach the news with a “better late than never” attitude, but that doesn’t make it any easier of a pill to swallow.
It would be a smart move by Rockstar to delay GTA 6 until it’s ready, so as not to disappoint those who have patiently waited for over a decade. “GTA 6 will sell for 10+ years and there is no competition to worry about,” Vermeij said. “They are not going to release the game until they’re 100% happy with it. No matter what it said in the trailer. I have no inside info. Didn’t talk to anyone.”
Vermeij also seems confident that Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two, won’t be in any rush to force Rockstar’s hand and push for the game’s release until it’s as polished as it can be. It certainly wouldn’t make sense to doom the GTA 5 sequel unnecessarily just for the sake of a few extra months.
