GTA 6 delay
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The gist
Rockstar delayed GTA 6 by six months to November 19, 2026.
The slip reshaped the year's biggest entertainment launch and left Take-Two's stock down about 15%.
Background
GTA 6's release date has moved repeatedly: the first official trailer carried a vague 2025 window, the second trailer gave May 26, 2026, and that date was later pushed out. Rockstar then announced a six-month delay to November 19, 2026, and the market value of parent company Take-Two fell $3.75 billion in a single day. The game is predicted to be the biggest entertainment launch of all time, which is why the date and the company's stock draw close attention.
How it unfolded
- Nov 2023Rockstar dismissed an employee in the U.S. for an act of information leaking.
- Apr 2025Rockstar dismissed an employee in Lincoln, UK, who it alleged disclosed confidential GTA 6 information to a third party who published it to social media.
- Nov 2025Rockstar dismissed an employee in India for an act of information leaking.
- date unknownRockstar officially announced GTA 6 would be delayed by six months to November 19, 2026; Take-Two's market value plummeted $3.75 billion in a single day.
- May 2026Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick was adamant during the Interactive Innovation Conference in Las Vegas that the release date would hold.
- Jun 25, 2026Rockstar Games started taking preorders for GTA 6.
- Sep 9, 2026GTA 6 prediction markets priced 'Before 2027' at 92¢ (92% chance), 'Before December 2026' at 92¢ (90% chance), and 'Before July 2027' at 96% 'Yes'.
- Sep 10, 2026An employment tribunal over the firing of 31 GTA 6 developers got underway at Glasgow Employment Tribunal.
- Sep 11, 2026Rockstar released its opening note in the employment tribunal; Take-Two's share price had slid about 15% so far this year and was down about the same over the past year.
- Sep 11, 2026Miami approved a $3 million Grand Theft Auto 6 marketing campaign; once Miami Beach and Rockstar agree to a deal, GTA 6 will take over Miami from Oct. 15 through Dec. 31.
- Sep 14, 2026A GTA 6 launch guide states the game will be released on November 19, 2026.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Rockstar says it fired staff because they leaked GTA 6 features via Discord, not because they tried to unionize, and that it didn't know at the time that those dismissed were involved with a union.
- Party
- The Independent Workers of Great Britain union claims the staff were unlawfully blacklisted and targeted for their union activities, and that the dismissals came without disciplinary process or right of appeal.
- Analysts
- Coverage notes GTA 6 is predicted to be the biggest entertainment launch of all time while Take-Two's stock has had a bad year, down about 15%.
Still unverified
Rockstar maintains it did not know at the time of the dismissals that the people it fired were involved with a union; the IWGB's allegations are disputed by Rockstar, which strongly denies them.