GTA 6 LIVE: Release date delay timeline revealed by Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick

Viral GTA 6-style Michael art

Redditor dbrnk21 shared their impressive efforts of recreating the GTA 6-style artwork by using Michael.

The user also shared an animation of how it all came together and others in the GTA 6 Subreddit were left stunned.

Marciofficial said: "This is really impressive. It looks just like the official art style."

YogurtclosetShot6527 said: "Put a watermark in there, some people are gonna farm like on Twitter with ur work!"

Successful_Young8345 said: "It's sad that you're not getting the attention you deserve. The art looks amazing and took a lot of effort."

Son_of_Ander_ said: "In-f******-credible. I often draw in the Red Read style but the GTA style is a little too intimidating to me. You made this look easy."

xvnflx said: "Looks fire bro."

Full story: GTA 6 release date delay explained by Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick

The CEO of Take-Two, which owns Rockstar Games, has confirmed why the decision was made to delay the release of GTA 6. The game was pushed back from its initial release window of Autumn 2025 to 26 May 2026 and Zelnick said it’s because of how "complex" the game is, describing the delay as a "worthy investment".

In prepared remarks ahead of an earnings call, Zelnick said: "I believe affording Rockstar additional time for such a groundbreaking project is a worthy investment. GTA 6 began development in earnest in 2020 following the massive success of Red Dead Redemption 2 and the title is now the most anticipated entertainment property of all time.

"The ambition and complexity of GTA 6 is greater than any previous Rockstar title and the team is poised to release another astonishing entertainment experience that will exceed players' expectations."

Read the full story here.

Switch 2 GTA 6 spin-off? 

In a Metro reader letter, someone has asked if there should be a GTA 6 spin-off for Nintendo Switch 2, saying it's highly unlikely the upcoming full game would ever release on the console.

The reader said: "I think it's obvious that GTA 6 is never, and could never, come to Nintendo Switch 2, but what do we think of the chances of there being a spin-off? There was Chinatown Wars, which was originally exclusive to DS, but there was also Liberty City Stories and Vice City Stories, which I think would be a better template for the Switch 2.

"They could make a new one set in modern Vice City and make it a prequel to the main game. The graphics wouldn't be as good, and the map smaller, but since it wouldn't literally be trying to be the same game as GTA 6 I think the pressure would be off to be as good."

Original release date delay reaction

Redditors have been reacting to Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick's comments about the game originally being planned to release at the end of November or perhaps even into December.

IcySmooth posted a clip of Zelnick's interview with CNBC in the GTA 6 Subreddit and said: "This means that the original release date for this year was set really close to Christmas Day. So any past predictions that were predicting an early Fall release are all now void lmao."

And others have been sharing their thoughts.

MisunderstoodBadger1 said: "The previous release window was 2025. May 26 2026 is less than six months after the end of 2025. I don't think he's referring to any specific date."

General_War_2446 said: "Y'all gotta remember this dude's job is to say stuff like this but this time I believe him after seeing how good the game is in trailer 2 and the screenshots."

snooprs said: "Damn a launch around Christmas would have been magical."

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick reveals original release date before delay

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick revealed Rockstar's plans for the original release date in an interview with CNBC.

He said: "It's a pretty short delay, it's less than six months, and generally when we announce a date certain, we're able to hit that date."

With the revised release date for GTA 6 being May 26 2026, that means Rockstar had planned to release the game right at the end of November given the previous release window of Autumn 2025.

Zelnick said he has no plans to play the game either, making clear he's not a gamer. "I don't play video games, I'm not the consumer in chief," he said.

Full story: Why release date was delayed officially revealed by Take-Two

Take-Two, the company that owns Rockstar Games, has officially revealed why GTA 6 was delayed from Autumn 2025 to May 26 2026.

The company is hosting an earnings call on May 15 where more information about GTA 6 is expected.

Ahead of the call, a comment from Take-Two said: "The ambition and complexity of GTA 6 is greater than any previous Rockstar title and the team is poised to release another astonishing entertainment experience that will exceed players' expectations."

It seems the game has been delayed because of just how detailed it is and Rockstar did not want to rush it or cut anything out, with Take-Two confirming the game will be the studio's biggest ever title too.

Read the full story here.