GTA 6 LIVE: Rockstar announces release date delayed until 2026 - and apologises to fans

The biggest reactions as dismayed gamers forced to wait until next year

Well, it's the news that GTA fans featured the most, and social media was flooded with reactions as soon as the delay was announced. See the biggest reactions here.

Rockstar announces 2026 release date

After a long, long wait, Rockstar has announced that GTA 6 will be released in in May, 2026 - and said is "very sorry that this is later than expected".

Game costing $80 'inevitable' say fans after Xbox price rises

Redditors think "GTA 6 costing $80 is inevitable" after Microsoft announced certain new first-party Xbox games will cost $80 going forward.

Microsoft also announced the cost of Xbox consoles, controllers and headsets will rise too, with Xbox Series X consoles going up by $100 and Xbox Series S by $80.

It comes shortly after the company boasted in an earnings report that Xbox "ended the quarter as the top publisher by pre-orders and pre-installs on both Xbox and the PlayStation Store" and its content and services revenue increased "ahead of expectations driven by stronger-than-expected performance in third-party and first-party content".

It has long been speculated that GTA 6 could cost $80 or more and with Microsoft announcing these rises, soon after Nintendo made the first move and confirmed digital Switch 2 games like Mario Kart World will cost that much, Redditors in the GTA 6 Subreddit think it's "inevitable" GTA 6 will cost at least that much at launch.

Redditor BTISME123 posted: "The precedent has now been set, GTA 6 costing $80 is inevitable."

And the vast majority seem to agree in the comments.

Cjw6809494 said: "GTA 6 is super worth $80... The new Switch Mario games... Eh not so much."

ProfessorVegetable98 said: "I'm okay with GTA 6 costing that much because I know they will try their best to extend the game's life as much as possible. But having 2K or Ubisoft costing $80 is where it's stupid and foolish."

southwestpessimist said: "Thanks Mario Kart."

JimmyJabble said: "Really sucks because no other 80 dollar game will be even close to GTA 6 but publishers will insist on pricing it the same."

QBekka said: "GTA 6 is the only game worth 80 bucks to be honest. Will probably be the first quadruple A game in the industry."

In a statement issued to IGN, Microsoft said: "We understand that these changes are challenging and they were made with careful consideration given market conditions and the rising cost of development. Looking ahead, we continue to focus on offering more ways to play more games across any screen and ensuring value for Xbox players."

The price of GTA 6 has not yet been confirmed.

Release date news nears with Take-Two earnings call this month

Take-Two's next earnings call is this month and there will be at the very least an update on the release window of GTA 6.

The company which owns Rockstar Games is holding an earnings call on May 15 at 4.30pm ET (9.30pm BST / 1.30pm PT) to report its financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2025.

Previously, since GTA 6 was announced, all of these earnings calls have had an update on the release window of the game.

Ahead of an earnings call in May 2024, Take-Two narrowed down the release window from 2025 to Autumn 2025 and has reiterated the game's release remains on track ever since.

In the imminent days before the call, or in documentation that's made publicly available just before the call itself starts, it will be known if GTA 6 remains on track to release in Autumn or not.

If it remains on track now, there has been a lot of commentary online that this means it's highly likely the game will indeed release this year and not be pushed back.

Take-Two also has a history of releasing trailers, screenshots or release information of its games ahead of earnings calls to drive interest and investment in the company.

Release date comments from Borderlands boss have not convinced fans

Redditors have been reacting to Randy Pitchford's comments that Borderlands 4 being brought forward by two weeks has not been influenced by GTA 6 and is not a tease for Rockstar's game.

They're not convinced by what he's said.

SnelleEd said: "Sus."

IlgnerJuan said: "Yep, it has to do with GTA 6."

DreamOfTheDrive said: "That's just what you would say if it was though... 🤔"

ICYMI: Release date speculation shut down by Borderlands 4 boss

Randy Pitchford, the boss of Gearbox which develops the Borderlands series, has said Borderlands 4 being brought forward by two weeks has not been influenced by GTA 6 and is not a tease for Rockstar's game.

On X / Twitter, Pitchford said: "Borderlands 4 shipping early is 100 per cent the result of confidence in the game and development trajectory backed by actual tasks and bug find / fix rates. Our decision is literally zero per cent about any other product's actual or theoretical launch date."

This comes after the release date of Borderlands 4 was moved forward from September 23 to September 12.

2K publishes the Borderlands games and is a sister company of Rockstar Games, as both are owned by Take-Two.

Borderlands 4's release date being brought forward led to speculation about this being a hint about the release window of GTA 6.

However Pitchford addressed this and said it's purely because of "confidence" in his game.

Borderlands 4 release date reaction

Before Randy Pitchford, the boss of Gearbox which develops the Borderlands series, denied GTA 6's release had any influence over Borderlands 4's release date being brought forward by 11 days, Redditors speculated what this could mean in the GTA 6 Subreddit.

Neither_Principle_34 said: "This makes more confident [GTA 6] is coming out this year."

KuntaWuKnicks said: "Borderlands 4 - September 12. Ghost of Yotei - October 2. November is looking good."

General_War_2446 said: "We got Borderlands news but all the talk is about GTA 6 just cause they share the same roof."

Trailer 2 not needed says former Rockstar developer

Former Rockstar Games developer Obbe Vermeij has said he "wouldn't release any additional trailers" to promote GTA 6 ahead of release.

Vermeij spent 14 years at Rockstar as a technical director, working on Grand Theft Auto projects such as Vice City, San Andreas and IV before leaving in 2009.

He posted on X / Twitter: "If it was my call I wouldn’t release any additional trailers. There is more than enough hype around GTA 6 and the element of surprise is going to make the release only bigger as an event."

Responding to one user commenting about Rockstar potentially just revealing a release date, Vermeij replied: "It would be a boss move."

Release date speculation shut down by Borderlands 4 boss

Randy Pitchford, the boss of Gearbox which develops the Borderlands series, has said Borderlands 4 being brought forward by two weeks has not been influenced by GTA 6 and is not a tease for Rockstar's game.

On X / Twitter, Pitchford said: "Borderlands 4 shipping early is 100 per cent the result of confidence in the game and development trajectory backed by actual tasks and bug find / fix rates. Our decision is literally zero per cent about any other product's actual or theoretical launch date."

This comes after the release date of Borderlands 4 was moved forward from September 23 to September 12.

2K publishes the Borderlands games and is a sister company of Rockstar Games, as both are owned by Take-Two.

Borderlands 4's release date being brought forward led to speculation about this being a hint about the release window of GTA 6.

However Pitchford addressed this and said it's purely because of "confidence" in the game.

'What will be GTA 6's crazy detail?'

A Redditor has asked in the GTA 6 Reddit what fans think will be the game's "crazy detail", posting a screenshot of a reflection seen in a squirrel's eyes in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Dry-Fault-5557 said: "Hair physics."

Mother_Apricot4928 said: "I think it will take eight years to find 90 per cent of attention to detail of this game."

rebe31 said: "Car suspension will be damageable. (When you fall from a cliff onto the wheels with a zero per cent upgrade car, the suspension will be deformed and will cause the car's body to stay tilted.)"

Insider gives 'clarity' on release date expectation

Insider Gaming owner Tom Henderson has given "clarity" over his comments that he expects there to be news about the release date of GTA 6 within the next two weeks.

He Tweeted: "For clarity - I said that we COULD see confirmation of the release date, be that via a new trailer, financial earnings forecasts, or whatever. I have zero knowledge if they will - it was nothing more than speculation."

Release date reveal expectation from insider reaction

Redditors have been reacting to Insider Gaming owner Tom Henderson saying he expects Rockstar Games to reveal news of the game's release date "within the next two weeks".

Fluffy-Cat2826 said: "I just hope they say something... We've waited too long. If you told me there'd be zero news 500 days after the trailer dropped, I wouldn't have believed you."

PresentationDull7707 said: "Considering PlayStation dropped the trailer for Ghost of Yotei in the middle of the night out of nowhere I'd assume they wanted it out before a GTA 6 trailer. Any other year that trailer probably would've been released at their Showcase. I think it's likely trailer 2 is coming in May before a PlayStation Showcase which is usually at the end of May."

Giant_Swigz said: "At this point, Rockstar's HQ is more secure than our own government."

Release date reveal expected imminently says insider

Insider Gaming owner Tom Henderson says he expects Rockstar Games to reveal news of the game's release date "within the next two weeks" in the run up to Take-Two's next earnings call on May 15.

Speaking on the latest episode of Insider Gaming Weekly, Henderson said: "I think if it's coming out this year, we should hear something within the next two weeks.

"That's not a leak or anything like that, that's speculation, just simply because, they have to, right? Because the next earnings call after that [the one in May] is August."

Henderson also teased he has a "well researched" story in the pipeline about the expected online mode in GTA 6.

"Speaking of stories and GTA 6, I do have a well researched story coming out in the next couple of weeks about GTA 6 and the online component," he said.

At present, none of this has been confirmed by Rockstar Games or Take-Two.

'Do you think GTA 6 will do away with these completely fake windows?'

Redditor MidnightPulse69 has posted in the GTA 6 Subreddit a screenshot from GTA Online of what look like fake windows on a shop that cannot be entered and asked: "Do you think GTA 6 will do away with these completely fake windows? They've got this same picture on a bunch of businesses and it's really shown its age imo."

And others have been commenting with their thoughts.

Sunimo1207 said: "Yeah, every game has. We have parallax interiors now, AAA games don't just use PNGs anymore. Even then, the leaks and patents show that there will be way more interiors compared to older GTA games. I'm sure there will be many parallax interiors for the vast majority of office and apartment buildings with hundreds of rooms but Rockstar also wants real 3D interiors for houses and shops and the leaks show quite a bit. Non-VC areas will probably have a lot of interiors like RDR2 towns."

Ok_Relationship_8200 said: "I hope they do. Either make actual interiors or just cover them up with blinds, curtains or even boards for those crazy Florida people."

deep_fried_cheese said: "Obviously."

GTA 6 release date hint from YouTube

A Redditor has claimed there has been a hint about the release date of GTA 6 from YouTube.

Redditor Former-Standard5930 posted in the GTA 6 Subreddit: "YouTube now allows GTA 6 to be listed in the video game category... And the date is still 2025.

"If I'm not mistaken, this was not allowed before as I frequently consult it."

GTA 5 FiveM now supports PC Game Pass

FiveM now supports GTA 5 via a PC Game Pass subscription after its launcher was updated to work with Microsoft Store versions of the game.

GTA 5 was recently added to Game Pass, including those subscribed to the PC tier, but FiveM was not supported.

It's the first time the game has been made available on PC via Game Pass and comes shortly after the Enhanced version was released for the platform.

FiveM, a popular multiplayer mod, was not initially available when GTA 5 was made available on PC Game Pass however @videotechuk_ spotted a message from the FiveM team on Discord that confirmed this has now been fixed.

Take-Two earnings call discussion

Redditors in the GTA 6 Subreddit have been sharing their thoughts ahead of Take-Two's earnings call on May 15.

There will be at the very least an update on the game's release window then, even if it's just to say the game remains on track to release in Autumn.

Fans are hopeful for more, such as a new trailer, screenshots or specific release date, as Take-Two's studios have a history of sharing big updates on what they're working on to drive interest and investment ahead of these calls.

But Kokito23 doesn't think that will be the case.

The user posted: "I believe they're gonna have their earnings call just like last time and reiterate the Fall 2025 release and that's it. We probably won't get anything official from them until June / July."

Others have been sharing their thoughts in the comments.

Gaghet said: "It'll be good news if they still iterate the Fall 2025 release."

Secret_Profit8723 said: "I know it's not the same thing but Ghost of Yotei's release date announcement made me realise how weird it is not to have any news from GTA 6 yet. I guess Rockstar isn't giving into the hype 😭"

DaIllest118 said: "Mafia and Ghost of Yotei will have my absolute attention until then. I stopped worrying about GTA 6 months ago. It'll happen when it does."