As sad as it is, the delay of GTA 6 shouldn't come as a surprise

The internet blew up last night when Rockstar announced that Grand Theft Auto VI will be massively delayed... again.

Originally slated for release in late 2025, and then pushed back to 26 May 2026, it will now arrive on 19 November 2026 – more than a year away. And I wouldn't be surprised if it slips further, to be honest.

That's because, while obviously disappointing, it's not exactly unknown for Rockstar to do this on one of its games. Indeed, it'd be more surprising if GTA 6 actually released when expected.

Take the last couple of Grand Theft Autos, for example – GTA 4 was originally slated for release in October 2007 but slipped to April the following year, and GTA 5 was meant to arrive in Q2 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was eventually released in September – several months later.

Even the PC port failed to release when promised – alongside the Xbox One and PS4 remasters. It followed five months after.

Then there's Red Dead Redemption 2, which was delayed twice – originally promised for the second half of 2016, it made it onto shelves in October 2018.

Rockstar games: why so many delays?

So Rockstar's track record of sticking to release schedules is sketchy at best. But when it comes down to it, every historical delay has so far turned out to be wholly justified.

As the studio says this time, it is delaying GTA 6 for a similar reason to those other examples: "We are sorry for adding additional time to what we realise has been a long wait, but these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve."

That's the key. Rush releasing a new game that has already taken a decade or more is not in Rockstar's nature. Nor should it be. You only need to look at CD Project Red's experience with the console versions of Cyberpunk 2077. After its own numerous delays, it seemed as if the studio caved to external pressure – to disastrous effect.

Yes, it's now a fantastic game after years of updates, but it was a total mess on its first release. Indeed, the Cyberpunk team left a telling post under Rockstar's announcement on X.

So while I am as disappointed as anyone else that I won't be getting to play Grand Theft Auto VI next May, I can take solace in the fact that I'll be playing a better game when it does arrive. Whenever that may be.

And in the meantime, I'll enjoy some of the open world alternatives that I can play as I wait.