The next entry in the Grand Theft Auto franchise is set to one of the biggest entertainment media releases on the planet according to analysts, and clearly, even rival publishers are weary. Take-Two and Rockstar Games have only announced a release window for the action game so far, and despite some assurances, there"s no guarantee that a last-minute delay won"t happen.
Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier put out a piece regarding how GTA VI"s expected gigantic launch might impact the games industry in 2025. In it, he also mentioned that several sources who have talked about how rival publishers to Take-Two are assessing the upcoming launch.
"Anticipation is so high that some competing game publishers are waiting as long as possible to commit to their release dates for the fall," says Schreier. "The publishers want to see whether GTA 6 will make its deadline or slip into 2026, these people say, and they’re determined to keep their own games far, far away."
Fall 2025 is the most recent target Take-Two has given for the launch of GTA VI. Despite some early reports of internal delays, the company has continued to say Rockstar will meet this release window.
Per the original record-breaking reveal trailer from December of 2023, the game will feature a female and male criminal duo this time, with players returning to Vice City for another open-world adventure. While not much official information has arrived outside of leaks regarding the world and gameplay, Take-Two CEO did recently confirm that performance should not be a concern on Microsoft"s Xbox Series S console.
Don"t forget that the initial GTA VI release will most likely only be for Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 consoles. Once other publishers evade that, they probably also have to keep an eye out for the PC launch, which could easily cannibalize sales from more games further down the line, perhaps even in 2026.