Rockstar Games is arguably one of the most respected and trusted video game developers in the industry, and rightfully so. Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption of two of the biggest franchises in gaming history, both as critical successes and huge money makers. Some of that success could be attributed to the time Rockstar takes on each one of its big releases, which typically results in a delay or two. This is true even today, as the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 has formally been delayed out of 2025 to May 26, 2026, the company announced in a statement.
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To some, this is a major bummer. Certainly, fans around the globe were eagerly waiting to play the next iteration in the beloved GTA series. However, those who have been around during the launches of Red Dead Redemption 2, Grand Theft Auto 5, or really any Rockstar Games launch in the past 20 years were probably expecting this delay announcement. Heck, some may already be expecting a second delay announcement at the beginning of 2026. Putting the company’s launch history into consideration, this is a very likely scenario. Let’s take a look at the past 20 years to see some of the Rockstar games that were delayed at least twice.
Midnight Club: Los Angeles
Before Rockstar Games switched to just developing Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, it had quite a few franchises under its umbrella. This includes Midnight Club, an arcade racing series by the lauded developer. The fourth and final entry, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, launched in October 2008, but not before getting several delays.
The game was initially slated for an early 2008 release, but was delayed to September 2008 by Take-Two Interactive “to leverage the retail strength leading to the key holiday-selling season, and in order to provide some distance from the release of Grand Theft Auto 4.” It was then pushed an extra month, into its final October 2008 launch.
Red Dead Redemption
The first Red Dead Redemption is one of the most beloved video games of all time, as it helped advance storytelling in the interactive medium. The game was initially slated for a late 2009 release date for PS3 and Xbox 360. However, in May 2009, Rockstar Games announced the game would release in 2010. Just before the end of that year, the company confirmed it would release the game in April 2010, but would inevitably miss that date in favor of its May 2010 release.
L.A. Noire
In 2011, Team Bondi and Rockstar Games collaborated on L.A. Noire, a third-person action-adventure game that follows a detective in the 1940s. The game is mostly known for the use of its MotionScan motion capture technology, which was a game-changer at the time. While it may not have been developed by Rockstar itself, it did suffer from several delays.
L.A. Noire was originally slated for a 2008 fiscal year release for PS3. As we know, this definitely did not happen. The crime thriller received four date changes after it was revealed. It was pushed to a 2009 fiscal year window, then to September 2010, and then to the first half of 2011. In January 2011, Rockstar confirmed its May 2011 release date, which it did finally hit.
Grand Theft Auto 5
Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the biggest video games of all time. It has sold hundreds of millions of copies, as it still tops sales charts years after its release in 2013. It is also one of the best-reviewed games of all time, as it was able to garner an average score of 97 across dozens of critic reviews, according to Metacritic. It has also seen several delays across its different versions.
Grand Theft Auto 5 was originally slated for a Q2 2013 release; however, it was delayed to its September 2023 release, which it did hit. When Rockstar Games re-released the game for PC, it received three delays. It was initially scheduled for a Fall 2014 release, which then moved to late January 2015, then delayed a second time to March 2015, then delayed to a third and final time, hitting an April 2015 release.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar Games introduced players to one of the best video game stories of all time with 2018’s Red Dead Redemption 2. Telling the tale of the dissolution of the famed Van Der Linde gang through Arthur Morgan is a genuinely well-told story that transcends the medium of video games. However, it did need some time to cook to reach those heights. The critically acclaimed open-world game was originally supposed to release in 2017, but was delayed twice. It was first moved to Spring 2018, but was then pushed to its official October 2018 release date.
Although it doesn’t happen with every single one of Rockstar Games’ releases, based on the above entries, it would not be surprising if Grand Theft Auto 6 gets another delay as we approach its May 26, 2026, release date. Regardless of when GTA 6 arrives, it will be coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S platforms.
