Take-Two says GTA 6 18 months behind

Strauss Zelnick said on May 18 that Grand Theft Auto VI is “about 18 months behind the original date,” offering the clearest public indication yet that Rockstar Games once aimed to launch the title well before its previously announced windows. IGN and Kotaku reported the remark after Zelnick’s interview with podcaster David Senra. Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two Interactive have not announced a new delay this week. Rockstar said on November 6, 2025 that Grand Theft Auto VI would release on November 19, 2026, after previously moving the game to May 26, 2026 in a May 2, 2025 post. Take-Two repeated the November 19, 2026 date in its November 6, 2025 earnings release. (me.ign.com) ### Where did the 18-month figure come from? David Senra’s interview with Zelnick is the source of the new disclosure. In the exchange cited by IGN, Senra asked how Zelnick could sound so certain about the current release date after prior slippage, and Zelnick replied, “I think we’re about 18 months behind the original date.” (rockstargames.com) Kotaku said that comment implies the game had once been targeting release as early as May 2025. IGN drew a similar conclusion, saying spring 2025 may have been the internal goal before the company publicly pointed to fall 2025. ### Does this mean Take-Two announced another delay? May 18 coverage from IGN and Kotaku described the remark as a look backward, not a fresh postponement for players. (me.ign.com) Both outlets tied the 18-month gap to an earlier internal target rather than to a newly changed public date. (kotaku.com) Rockstar’s official timetable still shows November 19, 2026. The company’s newswire post said the extra months would allow it to finish the game with the level of polish it wanted, and Take-Two’s investor materials have carried the same date. ### What had the public release schedule been before this? (me.ign.com) Rockstar said in its first major date change on May 2, 2025 that Grand Theft Auto VI was “now set to release on May 26, 2026.” That statement established the first specific launch date after the company had previously pointed to a broader 2025 window. (rockstargames.com) November 6, 2025 brought the second public shift. Rockstar then said Grand Theft Auto VI would release on Thursday, November 19, 2026, and Take-Two echoed that date in its fiscal second-quarter results the same day. ### Why are fans treating this as bigger than a routine confirmation? May 18 reports focused on the gap between internal planning and public messaging. (rockstargames.com) IGN said the 18-month comment suggests spring 2025 was once the internal target, while Kotaku said the game was supposed to be out as early as May 2025. (rockstargames.com) Rockstar’s current product page still presents Grand Theft Auto VI as a November 19, 2026 release and describes the game’s setting in Leonida, with protagonists Jason Duval and Lucia. That means the company’s public-facing materials have not changed alongside the new reporting about earlier internal expectations. ### What comes next from Take-Two and Rockstar? Take-Two said it will report fourth-quarter and fiscal 2026 results on Thursday, May 21, 2026. (me.ign.com) That filing and call are the next scheduled company update where executives could again address Grand Theft Auto VI’s timetable. For now, the official date remains November 19, 2026. The two latest formal statements on timing are Rockstar’s November 6, 2025 newswire post and Take-Two’s November 6, 2025 earnings release, both naming the same launch day. (rockstargames.com 1) (rockstargames.com 2) (take2games.com)