The news had already made people cringe. Initially scheduled for May 26, 2026, GTA 6 was postponed for the first time to November 19, 2026. A six-month delay to allow Rockstar Games to reach the expected level of quality. But according to several concordant sources, the situation remains uncertain. It is Jason Schreier, a journalist at Bloomberg known for his precise information on the industry, who revives the speculations in the podcast Button Mash.
According to him, the game is still far from being finalized. During his intervention, he asserted that the content was still not complete. The development teams would still be adding missions, finalizing levels and deciding which elements to include in the final version. A situation which leaves serious doubt about the possibility of keeping the November date.
“It is very difficult to say today whether the game will be released with certainty in November. I don’t think Rockstar can guarantee it 100%,” explains Jason Schreier, confirming fans’ growing concerns.
Rockstar still in the content phase: development far from over
What worries you the most is that Rockstar Games has not yet reached the so-called “content complete” phase, which is nevertheless crucial in the development of a AAA game. This is the phase where all the main elements are finalized, before the bulk of the bug fixing work. However, in the case of GTA 6, this stage still seems distant, despite a release date set in less than 11 months.
Jason Schreier recalls that this situation is not new at Rockstar. For Red Dead Redemption 2, motion capture scenes were produced only a few months before the game’s release. It is therefore possible that the latest additions were made in a hurry. But this time, the stakes are much higher.
Take-Two plays big: the financial future depends on GTA 6
The pressure is immense for Take-Two, the parent company of Rockstar. According to Schreier, the publisher doesn’t want to take any risks. He prefers to delay the release once again rather than launch the game in a “compromised” state.
The publisher’s fiscal calendar ends on March 31, 2027, which leaves a little additional room for a discreet postponement without departing from the framework of the exercise. But the idea of a botched launch is simply out of the question for Take-Two. Especially since Rockstar had already stated in its press release last November: “finish the game with the level of finish that you expect and deserve”.
This message summarizes the current strategy: it is better to push back than to disappoint.
PlayStation and Xbox suspended on Rockstar decisions
Beyond the players, the manufacturers themselves are subject to Rockstar’s decisions. Schreier indicates that PlayStation has built its entire line-up around the release of GTA 6, a strong sign of the importance of the title for the current console ecosystem. Xbox, for its part, is also counting on the release of this juggernaut to boost its end-of-cycle sales.
But a new postponement would pose a serious problem for both platforms. Especially since stocks of components such as RAM are under pressure, which could disrupt console production in the second half.
Pending possible official confirmation, the release of GTA 6 remains for the moment held on November 19, 2026 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. But as the months pass, the doubt only grows.