GTA 6 release date: November 19, 2026, and how we got here

Grand Theft Auto VI launches on Thursday, November 19, 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Rockstar Games set that date on the evening of November 6, 2025, when it pushed the game back for the second time. Ten months on, it hasn't moved again.

The second delay#

The November 2025 announcement moved GTA VI from May 26, 2026 to November 19, 2026, adding roughly six months. Rockstar's explanation was short: it wanted the extra time to polish the game to the standard players expect.

Take-Two chief executive Strauss Zelnick was asked about the move afterwards. According to PC Gamer and GamesRadar, he called slipping a date "always painful" but said the company has "never regretted it in retrospect".

Every date GTA 6 has had#

The first delay came four days before Trailer 2. Rockstar apologised and said the game needed more time to reach the quality players expect. There hasn't been a delay since: Rockstar has opened pre-orders, revealed the cover art, released the roughly 27-minute Extended Look and announced a soundtrack album, all pointing to November 19.

What Take-Two has said since#

The publisher has kept the date front and centre with investors:

• May 21, 2026: Take-Two said it expects fiscal 2027 to set "new record levels of operating performance", driven by GTA VI's November 19 launch.
• August 7, 2026: Take-Two reiterated its fiscal 2027 net bookings guidance of $8.0 to $8.2 billion, citing excitement around the November launch.

Everything now points at November#

The launch isn't a lone date on a calendar any more. Several official products are scheduled around it:

• November 12: digital pre-load opens, and the physical edition (a download code in a box) goes on sale.
• November 19: the game unlocks. Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album, two Limited Edition DualSense controllers and the $399.99 Goodtime State collector's box all arrive the same day.
• Before November 20: the cutoff for the Vintage Vice City Pack pre-order bonus.

What we'll watch for#

Nothing official suggests the date is in doubt, and we won't speculate beyond what Rockstar and Take-Two say. If anything changes, this article will be updated first, with the time of the change and a link to the source.

For everything else, including prices, editions and the full milestone timeline, head to the GTA 6 release date hub or read our guide to what's confirmed.