Hard blow for gamers: the release of the highly anticipated video game “Grand Theft Auto VI” (“GTA VI”), hitherto announced for the fall of 2025, has been shifted on May 26, 2026, its creators explaining wanting to refine before its launch.
“We hope you will understand that we need more time to bring you the level of quality you are waiting for,” said his publisher, Rockstar Games, in a statement published on Friday.
Huge stake
The stake is great for the company, while “GTA V” remains one of the most popular titles, twelve years after its marketing. Since its initial launch on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, it has been adapted to all new consoles of Sony and Microsoft as well as on PC, thus extending its lifespan and sales, which now exceed 200 million copies.
In this new part, for which few details have filtered, the players will cross Vice City, a frame inspired by Miami which was already in a “Grand Theft Auto” released in 2002.
The first trailer for the game, unveiled in December 2023, suggested to chases, parties on yachts and, for the first time, a female character among the main protagonists. It has since been viewed 250 million times on the Rockstar Games YouTube page.
Controversy
The success of this saga was not exempt from controversy, in particular because of its sulfurous aspect which stages individuals with criminal behavior. This would encourage, according to his detractors, the players to reproduce in real life the acts of their character. Accusations rejected by his developers.
Beyond Rockstar Games, it is the whole industry that had their eyes on this launch, while the sector has experienced growth for two years, after taking advantage of the confinements linked to the COVIR to break records in terms of turnover.
One flagship less
Analysts expected two new products to restart the video game this year: “Grand Theft Auto VI” and the Nintendo Switch 2, scheduled for June 5. Until now, pre-orders for the machine to succeed the very popular Switch seem to be there and exceeded 2 million at the end of April for Japan alone.
Questioned at the end of 2024 by AFP, Mat Piscatella, of Circana, was however worried about this concentration of expectations for 2025, recalling that it was “rare to found the hopes of a whole year on two products”.
“If one of them is postponed or does not meet the expected success”, the industry could find itself in a “very complicated” situation, he had predicted.
