The third time might be the charm, as Grand Theft Auto VI now has a third release date announced, following a series of layoffs at Rockstar Games. Originally announced for 2025, then pushed back to May 2026, GTA VI is now said to arrive on November 19, 2026. Rockstar made the announcement yesterday, stating that it’s sorry for the delay but will need the time to give it the finishing touches fans expect and deserve.
“We are sorry for adding additional time to what we realize has been a long wait, but these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve.
We want to thank you again for your patience and support. While the wait is a little longer, we are incredibly excited for players to experience the sprawling state of Leonida and a return to modern day Vice City.”
– Rockstar Games
Meanwhile, this announcement comes at an inauspicious time following a series of layoffs for the developer. Just last week, it was reported by Bloomberg (via TechPowerUp) that laid-off workers had accused Rockstar Games of union-busting. It was said that there were 30 to 40 staff let go between offices in the U.K. and Canada. Rockstar parent company Take-Two responded, stating that the firings were due to gross misconduct, but the following post from the IWGB Games Worker Union claims otherwise.
This is the most ruthless act of union busting in the history of the UK games industry. Yesterday, @RockstarGames fired over 30 employees for union activity.
— IWGB Game Workers (@IWGB_GW) October 31, 2025
We won't back down, and we're not scared – we will fight for every member to be reinstated. https://t.co/Pk3kVcuzUn
Ultimately, it’s anybody’s guess as to what is really happening at Rockstar Games regarding the ongoing delays in getting Grand Theft Auto VI out the door. The developer already has a history of extended release windows between games, and at this rate, it will be 13 years since the console release of GTA V, so what’s a few more months for fans? On the other hand, PC users are likely to have an even longer wait since the next game is currently only announced for consoles and may take up to another two years to arrive. After all, the last game didn’t get a PC release until 2015.