Take-Two CEO reveals why Rockstar needed to delay GTA 6

GTA 6 was delayed from Fall 2025 to May 2026 and the boss of Rockstar’s parent company has revealed why.

Rockstar has always pushed the envelope with its games and GTA 6 won’t be any exception, as fans have been blown away by the quality shown in the second trailer.

While many were anxiously expecting the VI to release in Fall, the studio announced a delay to May 2026, confirming fans’ worst nightmares.

Now, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has explained the exact reason for the delay and why Rockstar ultimately needed one.

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GTA 6 was delayed to meet Rockstar’s quest for “perfection”

Speaking with IGN ahead of Take-Two’s earnings call, Zelnick revealed that as Fall 2025 and GTA 6’s planned release window drew close, it became clear that more work was required.

“As we get closer to completion of a title that’s seeking perfection, the needs or lack thereof, for continued polish become clear,” he said. “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,” Zelnick claimed.

“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.”

During the earnings call, Take-Two’s CEO called the delay a “worthy investment,” adding that “the ambition and complexity of Grand Theft Auto VI is greater than any previous Rockstar title.”

This lines up with leaks from a user who shared accurate information about GTA 6 ahead of the second trailer about how devs felt a delay was “absolutely necessary.”

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“If we had gotten GTA 6 in 2025, it would have been a significantly worse game. They began cutting a lot of cool stuff to try and make that deadline,” X user GameRoll said.

As for the new release date, Zelnick is confident that it’ll be reached and players will have GTA 6 in their hands next year.

“I think historically when we set a specific date, generally speaking, we’ve been very good about reaching it.”