Grand Theft Auto 6 is one of the most anticipated titles in gaming, but we’re all probably going to be happy for the latest delay in the long run. GTA V and Grand Theft Auto Online both debuted in 2013 to rave reviews. Over a decade later, gamers have been itching to revisit the series for a brand new adventure.
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However, the confirmation of the sequel wasn’t formally announced until December 2023, with an intended 2025 release date. However, it was delayed earlier this year and has now been pushed once again to November 19, 2026. It’s a bummer, no denying it. However, given the history of Rockstar Games and the industry as a whole, the short-term disappointment is better than the more disheartening alternative.
GTA 6 Is Delayed, But Rockstar Will Make It Worth It
GTA VI has been delayed again, but it may be worth the initial disappointment. In an official post to X, Rockstar Games apologized for the delay but argued that “these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve.” With almost any other publisher, such a response might be met with a grain of salt. However, Rockstar might be one of the rare examples of that argument being justified, given just how much polish they put on their titles.
Part of the inherent appeal of a game like GTA 6 is the sheer execution and magnitude of the game world. Especially with such an anticipated return to an established location like Vice City, it makes sense that Rockstar would want to make sure the game works on every level before letting it loose into the world. There’s also the sheer number of gamers who are watching the game for any news. Given the amount of focus and attention the release will receive, a lackluster product would quickly come under fire from an unimpressed fanbase.
While the game’s update is undeniably disappointing for fans who’ve been waiting for the next entry in the series, it’s also one that makes sense from Rockstar’s perspective. This is one of the most anticipated video games of the last decade, with a level of engagement that other titles could only ever dream of. Even just the announcement of the delay has received countless responses across social media in a matter of hours.
This speaks to the pressure on Rockstar to deliver the best product possible, one that can live up not just to the overwhelming success of titles like GTA V and the overarching legacy of the series going back to the days of GTA III and GTA: Vice City, but also follow up on the other franchises under the Rockstar umbrella like Red Dead Redemption 2. In fact, that game’s own release delays highlight exactly why Rockstar fans will likely be happy with the delay in the long run.
Flawed Games Come Out Sooner, But Perfection Is Forever
Rockstar Games is also no stranger to delays on its projects. There’s always a desire to get hands on the next big thing and the newest title in the gaming community. It can be hard to be patient in the best of times, but it becomes almost unbearable when the title has been dreamed of for the better part of a decade. While each delay can be heartbreaking for fans, it’s worth it compared to the alternative.
Gaming requires a certain level of precision on all fronts to truly strive for perfection. It needs great gameplay, impressive worldbuilding, and strong narratives. It needs to ignore potential glaring flaws that have sunk lesser titles, keeping up with modern graphics while retaining timeless qualities to improve its overall shelf life. Patches can fix problems, but won’t erase negative responses to that first experience stepping into the game. In essence, a game released early but with flaws will always have those problems in the eyes of fans, no matter how much better it becomes over time.
Valve co-founder Gabe Newell summed up the sentiment pretty succinctly in the documentary about the 25th anniversary of Half-Life, noting that “Late is just for a little while, suck is forever.” A game’s release, especially one that will be as heavily scrutinized as GTA VI, needs to go as well as possible. There is almost no other game publisher whose ethos feels more appropriate for that sentiment than Rockstar Games. Their titles take years to come out, with delays an acceptable norm rather than a disheartening turn.
Take Red Dead Redemption 2, which went through similar multiple delays in its development. Initially intended for a fall 2017 release, the game was pushed back to spring 2018 before finally debuting in late October of that year. Before that, GTA V was meant to launch in the early months of 2013, but that was pushed until later in the year. In both examples, the delays were complained about by the fanbase — and in both cases, the overall strength of the games was more than enough to justify the delays. There’s no reason to doubt the same result won’t come about with GTA VI, especially given Rockstar’s impressive track record. I’m just as disappointed as everyone else by the delay for GTA VI, but I think it’ll be worth it in the long run.
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