GTA VI Release Date Locked: What This Means for the Future of Gaming

It’s been over a decade since Grand Theft Auto V launched and took over the world. According to Gambling.com, depending on what metric you use, it became the second or third best-selling game of all time and won Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards in 2013.

Fans have been asking when does GTA VI come out ever since. In fact, a whole meme format has launched about the length of that wait. If you’ve ever clicked on the comments section of a popular TikTok or Instagram post, you’ve probably seen a comment along the lines of “we got xxx before we GTA VI.

That meme format will end as Rockstar Games announced it was delaying the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI, but set a launch date of May 26, 2026. Ahead of the launch, we’ve provided this guide on everything we know about the most anticipated gaming sequel ever. 

The Hype Behind GTA VI – What We Know So Far

Rockstar Games announced on May 2, 2025, that GTA VI release date would be May 26, 2026. That should be no surprise to fans, as Rockstar Games has a history of delaying games. GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 saw delays before launching to critical acclaim. 

Even with the delays, there is still plenty of interest in GTA VI. The first trailer has racked up more than 250 million views, while people have viewed the second trailer more than 100 million times in a week.

Confirmed Release Date & Platform Expectations

The new official launch date for GTA VI is May 26, 2026. The game will be available on PlayStation 5, PS5 Pro, and Xbox Series X|S consoles. The game will also likely be available on PC, which may come later than the console launch. Former Rockstar Gaming developer Mike York speculated the game’s release on PC would be delayed due to past sales coming primarily from consoles.

Older consoles like the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will not support the game. There will be no GTA on Switch. 

One thing worth watching is the rollout of the anticipated GTA VI Online. When GTA V launched, the online version launched for consoles in October 2013, two weeks after the main game. So while players may be excited to commit heists and other crimes with their friends, they may have to wait even longer to bring that crime spree to Vice City. 

Industry Reactions – Why the Gaming World is Paying Attention

Take-Two Interactive Software, which owns Rockstar Games, saw stocks fall by 10.3% at worst after the announcement, so the business world is clearly watching GTA VI. 

With no offense intended to other video games, there is almost no point in launching a game around the same time as GTA VI. Considering the hype around the title, the number of fans likely to play makes it unlikely that smaller games will get any attention. The confirmed launch date will let game studios shuffle around launch plans to avoid being caught in the GTA VI storm. 

The all-consuming impact GTA VI is expected to make isn’t limited to video games. How many people will call in sick to jump back into Vice City? Pretty much all eyes are on this game, so the GTA VI release date is crucial information for any company looking to plan for a drop in engagement. 

Key Features and What Makes GTA VI Unique

Several new features in GTA VI help separate it from its predecessors, starting with the game having a female protagonist for the first time in the franchise's history. Additionally, GTA VI will see the integration of new social media features to reflect how social media has boomed since 2013, as shown with Instagram/TikTok-style videos in the first trailer. Gone are the days when your phone on GTA was just a tool to call Lester and browse websites painfully slow. 

GTA VI will also see the return to Vice City, a fictional city based on Miami and Miami Beach from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Rockstar Games has announced that this will be its biggest and most interactive open-world map yet, exploring the fictional state of Leonida, inspired by Florida. The second GTA 6 trailer features settings including the beaches and high-rises of Vice City, as well as swamps populated by alligators.

How GTA VI Could Change the Future of Open-World Gaming

While fans may be hoping GTA VI will elevate the standards of video games and push other companies to step up, that’s pretty unlikely. Other open-world games to push the boundaries, like Skyrim, GTA V, and Baldur’s Gate 3, were broadly viewed as outliers and beyond the reach of most development companies. For every Red Dead Redemption 2, we get plenty of games like Redfall. No one wants more games like Redfall.

One interesting area where GTA VI will have to compete is with the lifecycle of games. When GTA V launched in 2013, it wasn’t standard for players to commit to one game for longer than the runtime of a few playthroughs. However, the constant updates to GTA V Online helped change that, with many players returning to GTA V regularly for a decade.

Games like Fortnite have pushed this further, and most Triple-A games now feature a live service element to keep players hooked. It will be interesting to see how GTA VI competes within this market. 

From a technical standpoint, fans have pointed out how groundbreaking the graphics look for GTA VI, noticing everything from a beer on a table with realistic bubble physics to the impact of ray tracing illumination. With technical components for consoles, PCs, and monitors improving constantly, these close-to-life game worlds may become increasingly commonplace. 

Final Thoughts – Is This the Most Important Game of the Decade?

Since the first Grand Theft Auto game was released in 1997, fans have enjoyed stealing cars, committing crimes, and messing around in fun open worlds. GTA V probably would have been the most crucial game of the 2010s, considering its sales, but Minecraft got in the way by overtaking its sales and cultural impact.

However, with Rockstar Games picking up more fans than ever thanks to the longevity of GTA V, releasing across three generations of consoles and another of its games, Red Dead Redemption 2 also winning critical acclaim, GTA VI is set to be the biggest gaming event of the 2020s. 

Expectations are astronomically high, but Rockstar Games rarely fails to deliver. That emphasis on quality is why GTA VI was delayed in the first place. Are you ready for 2026? To quote GTA San Andreas, “Ah sh*t, here we go again.”