May 2026 is new release date for Rockstar’s sequel

Grand Theft Auto 6 – some of the eagerly awaited releases of all time – has been delayed till Might 2026.

The sequel in developer Rockstar Video games’ record-breaking online game sequence was on account of be launched on consoles later this yr.

However it advised followers it wanted further time to “deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve”.

The earlier sport within the sequence, GTA 5, is the second-best promoting online game of all time and stays extraordinarily widespread due to its on-line mode.

Little official data on GTA 6 has emerged since a trailer for the sport was launched in December 2023, rapidly reaching over 100m views.

The 90-second clip revealed two most important protagonists, and a glimpse of the sport’s fictional, Florida-inspired setting Leonida.

In its assertion, Rockstar mentioned the “interest and excitement” within the sport had been “truly humbling for our entire team”.

The corporate is understood for its lengthy improvement cycles and the 12-year hole since GTA 5’s launch has sparked a wave of jokes and memes on-line.

It additionally has a observe report of delaying main releases, equivalent to 2018’s Pink Lifeless Redemption 2 – the studio’s final huge new sport.

However Rockstar can also be identified for its perfectionist method and Straus Zelnick, CEO of father or mother firm Take Two Interactive, beforehand mentioned every new sport from the developer “needs to be something you’ve never seen before”.

Information of the delay has landed arduous with followers equivalent to Dienne Kawende, 27.

“I’m absolutely furious right now,” he tells BBC Newsbeat.

“There’s fire flowing through my body right now.”

GTA 6 will solely be out there on PlayStation 5 and Xbox at launch, that means homeowners of older consoles might want to improve to play it.

Sony and Microsoft lately introduced value will increase for each machines.

“This year, I literally got a job just to save up to get a Playstation 5,” says Dienne.

“It’s all ruined now.”

Though he praises Rockstar for making “amazing” and sophisticated video games, the 12-year wait is getting an excessive amount of for him.

“I’m getting really impatient at this point,” he says.

“When GTA 5 came out, I was in school. I was a teenager. I might start having kids soon.

“I may not even have time to play GTA 6 when it comes out.”

GTA 6 is anticipated to interrupt gross sales data when it’s launched, probably surpassing its predecessor, the highest-grossing video game launch of all time.

The global video games industry has been hit by waves of studio closures and layoffs over the past two years.

It was hoped {that a} new Rockstar launch would possibly encourage extra folks to purchase a brand new console, or drive interest in gaming more widely.

However, it does mean that other publishers who might have been holding off on announcing new games out of fear of clashing with GTA 6 might now look to release theirs before the end of this year.

Hearken to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or pay attention again here.