Fall 2025 was never realistic, say Rockstar devs after GTA 6 delay

Rockstar Games has officially pushed Grand Theft Auto VI back to May 2026, moving the highly anticipated title from its previously projected Fall 2025 release window. As disappointing as the news might be for fans, developers within Rockstar claim that the delay was unavoidable. As relayed by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier, multiple devs never felt the 2025 release date was realistic given the enormity of the project.


After the official confirmation of the delay, Jason Schreier provided some details from his conversation with Rockstar Games developers. As per his sources, the general sentiment within the company for months had been that Fall 2025 was not possible. Schreier tweeted on social media site Bluesky that nearly every person he had talked to at the studio had anticipated a 2026 release due to "too much work" and "not enough time."
Schreier even went on record in January 2025, saying he thought a slip into 2026 was very probable. The delay now is what many insiders had anticipated. Take-Two Interactive, meanwhile, Rockstar's parent company, had publicly insisted that Fall 2025 was still the plan, a stance which apparently conflicted with internal projections.

Although the delay has disappointed some fans, there’s a silver lining: Rockstar appears committed to moving away from the “crunch” culture it was heavily criticized for in the past. Schreier added that the leadership at Rockstar has demonstrated a "real desire to avoid brutal crunch," a pleasant improvement over the circumstances of the making of GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Former staff had once characterized such work conditions as "horrific," with rampant overtime and burnout. Yet internal reports over the past few years indicate that conditions have vastly improved. Although overtime hasn't been completely done away with, sources indicate it's now "night and day" from before.
The postponement of GTA 6 can be disappointing for fans who want to revisit Vice City, but it indicates a change towards more realistic development aspirations and better workplace habits at Rockstar. While expectations are still sky-high, the studio seems determined to release not only a revolutionary game, but do so without reliving past errors.
Also Read: GTA 6 delay and Xbox’s $80 pricing move hint at premium price for Rockstar’s next hit