Take-Two Interactive has just confirmed what many fans have been anxiously waiting to hear: Grand Theft Auto 6 is still scheduled to launch on 19 November 2026. This comes from documents published ahead of the company’s earnings call on 3 February, marking the first official update since Rockstar announced the game’s second delay back in November 2025.
The Journey to November
If you’ve been following GTA 6’s development, you’ll know it’s been quite the saga. The game was originally slated for 2025, then pushed to May 2026, before finally settling on the current November date. For those who’ve lived through previous Rockstar launches, this pattern feels familiar. Red Dead Redemption 2 went through exactly the same process, suffering two delays before eventually releasing in October 2018. If history repeats itself, there’s reason to be cautiously optimistic.
What Take-Two’s Saying
In prepared remarks, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick referenced the “highly anticipated launch” when discussing the company’s projections for fiscal 2027. He’s clearly banking on GTA 6 to deliver record-breaking performance and establish what he calls a “new financial baseline” for the business. That’s corporate speak for “we expect this to be absolutely massive”, which, given GTA 5’s incredible longevity, seems reasonable.
Nearly 13 Years Later: The Reality Check
Now, could the game still slip again? Absolutely. We’re nine months out, and in game development terms, that’s still enough time for complications to arise. But Take-Two’s latest statement suggests there are no current concerns, which is genuinely encouraging. The fact they’re publicly reaffirming the date during an earnings call, when investors are listening closely, carries some weight.
If GTA 6 does arrive in November as planned, it’ll have been nearly 13 years since GTA 5 launched. That’s an extraordinary gap, even by Rockstar’s standards. The November timing is strategic too, placing it squarely in the crucial holiday window. If they pushed the date again, they’d lose that opportunity and probably face some very frustrated stakeholders.
For now, the countdown continues. Whether GTA 6 can live up to over a decade of expectations remains to be seen, but if Rockstar’s track record tells us anything, it should at least be a compelling experience. We’ll know for certain when November rolls around.
Will GTA 6 Have a Midnight Launch?
So, if we’re starting to grow in confidence, the big question is “will there be a midnight launch”. My first instinct was yes, citing Smyth’s recently doing a midnight launch for the Switch 2. But that was a console. Thanks to digital downloads, and very few people being worried about the idea of GTA 6 resale value given the long playability of the game, I can’t see the demand being there for a physical copy of the game.
I could be wrong, but it’s really unlikely.
