After so many reassurances that GTA VI would be arriving in 2025, many players were disappointed to learn that it had been pushed back to May 26, 2026. But Take-Two chief executive officer Strauss Zelnick feels confident that the delay was absolutely the right choice, and that Rockstar needed the extra time as they continued “seeking perfection” with Grand Theft Auto VI.
Speaking to IGN about the delay, Zelnick admitted that delays cause him “pain,” but was resolute that it was the right choice, and that “the most important thing to do is to support your teams in their search for perfection.”
Breaking down what led to the decision, Zelnick said, “As we got closer to completion of a title that’s seeking perfection, the needs or lack thereof, for continued polish become clear, in this case there was an opportunity with a small amount of incremental time, we thought, to make sure Rockstar Games achieves its creative vision with no limitations. And I supported of course that approach.”
“I feel really good about how Fiscal 26 looks sitting here today,” he continued. “And while of course, delays pain me – how could they not? The most important thing to do is to support your teams in their search for perfection.”
In Zelnick’s opening statement for Take-Two’s latest earnings report for the fourth quarter of its 2025 fiscal year, Zelnick says the choice to give Rockstar more time with GTA VI “is a worthy investment.”
Rockstar will clearly get all the time it needs, but now that a date has been put out, Zelnick is sounding as confident as he can without having to directly say that GTA VI won’t be delayed again.
“I think historically when we set a specific date, generally speaking, we’ve been very good about reaching it,” is what he told IGN. When asked by The Game Business about announcing the date a year in advance, Zelnick said, “Generally, when we set a specific date, that ends up being the date.”
“We thought it was important to reassure people that it is coming, and picking a specific date emphasizes that point,” he continued.
So we can look towards May 26, 2026, with at least a bit more confidence than we could at the previous ‘release window’ of sometime in 2025.
Zelnick has previously cited Rockstar and Take-Two’s goals for GTA VI, saying that the company is trying to make GTA VI the next “benchmark” for video games and entertainment, that Rockstar is going for “something you’ve never seen before,” and that Take-Two and Rockstar Games are “seeking perfection” with this release.
He’s always publicly set the highest bar imaginable for Grand Theft Auto VI, and this is no different. While what we’ve seen of the game makes it appear to be hitting that bar, we won’t know for sure until it’s in our hands.
