New details arrived thanks to an earnings call for investors from parent company Take-Two Interactive and this may just surprise you, but, GTA VI has only been in production for 5 years. CEO of Take-Two, Strauss Zelnick, implied that development didn’t ramp up until 2 years after the release of the highly successful Red Dead Redemption 2 launch in 2018.
“Grand Theft Auto VI began development in earnest in 2020 following the massive success of Red Dead Redemption 2, and the title is now the most anticipated entertainment property of all time,” Zelnick said. Rockstar expects to release Grand Theft Auto VI on May 26, 2026, which is in our Fiscal Year 2027. “I believe affording Rockstar additional time for such a groundbreaking project is a worthy investment,” Zelnick continued.“The ambition and complexity of Grand Theft Auto VI is greater than any previous Rockstar title, and the team is poised to release another astonishing entertainment experience that will exceed players’ expectations.” confirmed Zelnick.
Speaking in an interview with IGN, Zelnick stated that as GTA 6 got closer to release, the need for more polish “became clear” to the publisher, and was confident there would be no further slips for GTA VI. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case for some, as one insider believes there is still a chance GTA VI doesn’t stick the May 26th landing.
Are delays good? In theory, good for the players, bad for investors, potentially. GTA VI will be the world’s largest form of entertainment, no pressure Rockstar! However, this means getting things right. It will certainly pay off tenfold when the game launches. A game of this scope, this magnitude, with so many moving parts, from the story campaign that you would expect of a Rockstar title, the living, breathing world that will feature endless opportunities of possibilities with moments no one saw coming. Not to mention, the Online, whenever that drops. A 5-year development cycle just isn’t plausible in this day and age even for Rockstar.
Do you think Rockstar can stick the landing for May with GTA VI? Let us know in the comments below.
