Report: Possible GTA 6 Delay Could Push Rockstar’s Latest To 2026

gta-6-delay-2026-possibility

Rockstar may be planning a GTA 6 delay that pushes the highly-anticipated open-world game back to late 2025 or even early 2026. The news comes from sources familiar with the matter who spoke with Kotaku on condition of anonymity, and they cited Rockstar’s fears of lagging production as the reason behind the company’s sudden demand that all workers return to the office.

Related: Hyundai Has Recreated The GTA 6 Trailer With Hilarious Results

Rockstar finally unveiled GTA 6 in December 2023, after months of speculation and one big – and very illegal – leak, and the plan was to release the game sometime in early 2025. Parent company Take-Two also hinted at an early 2025 release date in their financial reports, which predicted higher than average bookings for that period.

Rockstar issued a statement telling employees to return to the office beginning in February, and while concerns over safety and leaks were the official reasons the company gave, Kotaku’s sources said they believe lagging production is the real cause. Rockstar management is reportedly concerned about whether they can hit the early 2025 date now and believes forcing everyone back in the office will help prevent delays.

The return-to-office news went over poorly with employees, many of whom were hired remotely and told that remote work would be permanent.

Meanwhile, Rockstar is still reportedly aiming for an early 2025 release date, expecting a delay to late 2025, and has early 2026 planned as an “emergency fallback” in case production slows or the team runs into trouble. Kotaku’s source said that Rockstar has a history of waiting until the last minute to announce release schedule changes, so if there is an internal delay, the next GTA 6 trailer or announcement likely won’t acknowledge it.

Related: All GTA Games Ranked From Worst To Best