The record-breaking GTA 6 trailer ends with confirmation that the game will launch at some point in 2025. Until recently, there was speculation that Grand Theft Auto 6 would have a February 2025 release date on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, something that would make sense given the Bonnie and Clyde dynamic (if it launched on Valentine’s Day, that is). In the past week, however, conflicting reports have emerged about a potential delay. It all started with a Kotaku report that suggested development of Grand Theft Auto 6 was “falling behind” and that the game may end up being pushed back until 2026. This has since been debunked, with multiple sources claiming that the original report was overblown and that GTA 6 is still on track for 2025.
Indeed, according to industry insider Mike Straw, the suggestion of a delay is “pure conjecture” at this point in time.
“Saying this again since people are still running with it: I’ve reached out to multiple sources and was told the game was “on schedule” and that any suggestion of a delay at this point in development is “pure conjecture”,” Straw tweets.
While the most recent reports are great news for impatient Grand Theft Auto fans, a significant delay does kind of feel inevitable.
More things can go wrong when developing a game the size of Grand Theft Auto 6, and Rockstar will be keen to avoid the kind of reputational damage suffered by studios like CD Projekt with Cyberpunk 2077.
Working conditions are also under the spotlight more than ever before, which means Rockstar Games probably can’t rely on the majority of staff members working seven days a week during extended “crunch” periods in the run up to launch.
According to some reports, the company is struggling to make staff come into the office for a minimum of five days a week, which could lead to timing issues further down the line.
Ultrimately, the most important thing is for Rockstar Games to release GTA 6 when it’s good and ready.
Nobody wants a buggy mess of a game, even if it means Rockstar is forced to delay the Grand Theft Auto 6 release date.
Hopefully we’ll still see Grand Theft Auto 6 in 2025, but if it does get pushed back, then we’ve waited this long, so I suppose we can wait just a little bit longer.