GTA 6 LIVE: Release date verdict from Take-Two CEO great news for fans

Game pacing discussion

A popular post on the GTA 6 Subreddit is discussing the game's pacing.

acatato posted: "Does anybody else want game be more slower, deep and atmospheric as it is now RDR2? I know some people don't like how slow RDR2 is compared to GTA but for me it gives opportunity to feel, to be in this world, walking around old houses looting them, hunting, slow calm looting after intense shooting, cooking and eating food later at camp, just walking on / with horse looking at the nature and everything.

"Imagine this is in GTA 6, I even wish there was a fuel for cars, so when you need to take a long trip to another city (that will take probably at least a day looking at how big map can be, idk), you will need take stops at gas stations at night. Stopping at motels to not be tired, etc."

And others have been commenting with their thoughts.

__Throne__ said: "100 per cent it should have those slow moments, I don't want to be railroaded between massive events back to back, let me wander around and enjoy the world as the game goes on."

TelevisionEither9541 said: "I know exactly what you mean with the way RDR2 plays. I enjoy that style too and it fits the world really well. I believe GTA 6 will play closer to RDR2 than people think. With how much fine detail is going into the game, I feel like the gameplay will complement that. GTA 5 was more run around and see the bigger picture of things and not as much of the finer things. We'll just have to wait and see but I'm hoping for something a little closer to RDR2."

Puzzleheaded-Bar5127 said: "Of course! I prefer deep and atmospheric games, RDR2 was all about that and it's easily one of the best games out there. I don't want to rob banks and shoot people every mission in GTA 6, I wanna go hang out with friends - fishing, camping, hunting, go to the gym, leave the city explore the wilderness and that kinda stuff. Missions where protagonist and side characters go for an activity like fishing and exploring, it creates realism and makes you more attached to the side characters, I'd say it’s perfect way for character development, in RDR2 going out hunting with Hosea was so cool, conversations protagonist has with side characters and stuff. I wanna see that in GTA 6."

Take-Two CEO 'flattered' by speculation

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said he's "flattered" there was so much speculation within the industry surrounding the GTA 6 release date.

In an interview with The Game Business, Zelnick said: "I love that there's that speculation going on. It's flattering.

"The point is that, in the context of a delay which is going to disappoint people, we thought it was important to reassure people that it is coming, and picking a specific date emphasises that point."

Although it's been 12 years since GTA 5 released, Zelnick thinks the amount of work that's gone into GTA Online could arguably equate to two new GTA games every year.

"In the case of Grand Theft Auto, we have Grand Theft Auto Online, and Rockstar has been supplying content to Grand Theft Auto Online, some of which is so robust that if you go back 15 years, it would have counted as a standalone title," he said.

"One could really argue that Rockstar has been putting out a new Grand Theft Auto release a couple of times a year."

'I'm still in shock': GTA 6 fans stunned by record breaking detail

GTA 6 fans are "still in shock" over a detail about the game's estimated production costs that's going viral.

It's long been rumoured GTA 6 is costing Rockstar Games around $1 billion to develop with some rumours previously circulating online that it could even be up to £2 billion.

While it seems the $2 billion rumours (which were questioned by some as soon as they started) have been quashed, the estimated development cost is still eye-watering.

An IGN report said: "GTA 6's development cost so far is estimated to be over $1 billion, which would make it the most expensive video game of all time."

To be clear, this figure has not been confirmed by Take-Two or Rockstar Games and is estimated.

But it's quickly been doing the rounds on social media and fans have been left stunned by how much the game is rumoured to be costing Rockstar to make.

Read the full story here.

Take-Two earnings call key points about GTA 6

• Confirmed to be the biggest Rockstar game ever made
• CEO Strauss Zelnick seems very confident about the May 26 2026 release date
• Delay to that date from Autumn 2025 is a "worthy investment"
• Development began "in earnest" in 2020
• Bosses refused to be drawn on how much GTA 6 will cost
• Game acknowledged as "most anticipated entertainment property of all time"

Closing remarks

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said: "We think the release schedule we have coming to market is second to none, it's definitely second to none in our history.

"We know we have to buckle down and work hard every day, arrogance is the enemy of continued success."

Zelnick on tariffs

Zelnick said: "We feel reasonably confident we wouldn't be meaningfully affected unless tariffs ran off in a different direction than we currently expect."

GTA 6 popularity

Zelnick said: "GTA 5 has been the standard bearer for the industry since it launched. It not only survived through three console generations, it's thrived. It's sold 215 million units and continues to sell.

"Consumers are actively engaged with all things GTA.

"In terms of a new iteration, it's been some time. Everyone anticipates the next James Bond movie but there's nothing in between. What you have in your head is the last time around.

"475 million trailer views in 24 hours tells you something. It tells you something more than it was good trailer.

"We're not claiming success until it happens, all we're focusing on is making the best possible entertainment here.

"With pricing, we don't talk about specific pricing here, it's set at a label level in the context of individual releases, we want to focus more on consumer value."

Full Take-Two CEO statement on GTA 6

In prepared remarks, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said: "Rockstar expects to release GTA 6 on May 26 2026, which is in our Fiscal Year 2027.

"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.

"Consumer anticipation is unprecedented, with trailer 2's cross-platform debut last week shattering records to become the biggest video launch of all time, with more than 475 million views in 24 hours.

"This follows trailer 1's record-breaking debut of 93 million views in 24 hours on YouTube alone.

"Spotify streams of the track featured in the trailer 'Hot Together' by the Pointer Sisters, surged by 182,000 per cent, once again proving Rockstar's ability to influence popular culture.

"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."

Trailer 2 'broke the internet' says Take-Two CEO

In response to an investor question, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said: "It's too early to say if there has been an immediate result [about a GTA Online uplift after GTA 6 trailer 2]. As a reminder, as I'm sure everyone is aware, the trailer did hit 475 million views.

"Essentially, Rockstar Games broke the internet and we feel really good about what that means for GTA 6."

Variable pricing

With Mafia: The Old Country being priced at $49.99, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick was asked about variable pricing on games going forward, seemingly hinting if a verdict has been made on GTA 6.

Zelnick said: "We've always had variable pricing. It's about delivering the best value to consumers, that's our job.

"In the case of Mafia: The Old COuntry, we think it's an extraordinary game, it's amazing."

Investor questions

The prepared remarks have now finished and executives will be asked questions by investors.

There could be a few about GTA 6 here. Stay tuned...

Release date verdict from Take-Two CEO is good news for fans

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick's confident comments to IGN about being "historically ... very good" at hitting release dates when they are set are good news for fans.

It does not appear he is expecting any further delays and once specific release dates are given, he says they are usually hit.

Or, in the case of Borderlands 4 (published by 2K which is also owned by Take-Two), brought forward even.

Zelnick comments in earnings call

In prepared remarks, Zelnick revealed the game did not start development "in earnest" until 2020 because of GTA Online and Red Dead Redemption 2.

Although it does seem work on the game did start before that.

He said: "Affording Rockstar additional time for such a groundbreaking project is a worthy investment.

"GTA 6 is now the most anticipated entertainment property of all time."

Strauss Zelnick confident about release date

In an interview with IGN, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said he feels very confident about GTA 6 hitting the May 26 2026 release date given its history but did say "delays pain me".

He said: "Delays pain me - how could they not? The most important thing to do is to support your teams in their search for perfection.

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

Earnings call begins

The welcome and opening messages are starting as the latest Take-Two earnings call gets underway.

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.

Release date delay reason revealed by Take-Two

Take-Two has shared a comment on GTA 6 ahead of its earnings call, revealing why GTA 6 has been delayed.

“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 said.

30 minutes until Take-Two earnings call

There's just 30 minutes to go until Take-Two hosts its latest quarterly earnings call.

Take-Two owns Rockstar Games and with the fresh releases of trailer 2 and screenshots, along with an updated but delayed release date on May 26 2026, there is likely to be more information from the company around the decision to release and announce all of this now.

This earnings call will detail Take-Two's last fiscal year performance and look ahead to the one that's just started; although the release of GTA 6 is now already in the next fiscal year after this one, there will be GTA 6 projections for the current fiscal year budgeted such as marketing costs.

Investors have the opportunity to ask questions to Take-Two bosses after the presentations have completed and there will undoubtedly be some questions around GTA 6.

We'll be covering the event live so keep it locked for all the latest as it unfolds.

GTA 6 delay will cost console market £2.7 billion in revenue this year say analysts

Analysts claim GTA 6 being delayed from Autumn 2025 to May 26 2026 will cost the console market $2.7 billion in revenue this year.

The Game Business reports Ampere Analysis, a leading industry data firm, has reduced its 2025 sales estimates for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S consoles by a staggering 700,000, with game sales across these platforms forecast to be down by 21 million.

Ampere's Piers Harding-Rolls said: "The drop is quite significant. You would expect people to spend on other things [instead] but that kind of transfer will not be entirely."

He also said the GTA 6 delay could help with Nintendo Switch 2 sales during the holiday period.

'Cars look way more realistic than first trailer'

A popular GTA 6 Subreddit post claims "cars are looking way more realistic [in the game now] than the first trailer".

MadHanini said: "On the first trailer, I remember thinking that the cars looked like toys, fake plastic idkw how to describe, on the new footages they looks waaaaaaay more realistic."

And others have been sharing their thoughts.

fairenoughokaywhynot said: "That was my least favourite shot from the first trailer as far as the cars. They’re literally straight out of GTA 5 there. The improvements from trailer 1 to trailer 2 are insane."

GrittyboyJPM said: "First person is gonna be nuts."

yourdragonkeeper said: "I think it's the lighting/reflections as well as the time of day."

GTA 5 Easter egg spotted in GTA 6

A GTA 5 Easter egg has already been spotted in GTA 6 from eagle-eyed fans.

Michael, one of the main protagonists from GTA 5, is an associate producer for a movie called Meltdown in the game.

And in the background of one of the images posted on Rockstar's website, cover art for the film can be seen.

This was posted in the GTA 6 Subreddit and has been blowing people's minds.

poklane said: "Damn that's an amazing spot!"

Either-Musician4342 said: "I wonder if he'll get mentioned during the story. By the time the game comes out Michael will have been a producer for 13 years I think."

Burgerkingoof said: "I could 100 per cent see him getting some references on movie posters or maybe even an interview about one of his movies."

GTA 4 will be ported not remastered claims insider

An insider that claimed GTA 4 may be coming to newer consoles has made it clear they expect the game to be ported and not remastered.

Tez2 is a dataminer, someone who analyses game files such as code to uncover information about unknown or unreleased content, and regularly posts updates about Rockstar Games.

New comments from the user have been spotted on the same forum they first mentioned the GTA 4 remaster.

Tez2 said: "It's not a remaster. I don't know which platforms are targeted, or which version it will be based off, or which studio is handling this port.

"All I know is that it entered development last year. I don't have anything more to present. So you can take this with as much of a grain of salt as you like."

A GTA 4 port has not been officially confirmed by Rockstar.

More news expected from Take-Two during earnings call

Take-Two is hosting its quarterly earnings call at 9.30pm BST (4.30pm ET / 1.30pm PT) where the company is expected to share even more information about GTA 6.

Take-Two owns Rockstar Games and with the fresh releases of trailer 2 and screenshots, along with an updated but delayed release date on May 26 2026, there is likely to be more information from the company around the decision to release and announce all of this now.

This earnings call will detail Take-Two's last fiscal year performance and look ahead to the one that's just started; although the release of GTA 6 is now already in the next fiscal year after this one, there will be GTA 6 projections for the current fiscal year budgeted such as marketing costs.

Investors have the opportunity to ask questions to Take-Two bosses after the presentations have completed and there will undoubtedly be some questions around GTA 6.

We'll be covering the earnings call live as it happens so stay with us for all the latest.

'Water reflection is crazy'

Redditors continue to be left truly gobsmacked by the level of detail in Rockstar's second trailer and screenshots for GTA 6.

MELS381 posted an image showing off water reflection and others have been sharing their thoughts.

Dry-Fault-5557 said: "The cougar's even dirty from being in the water."

Thricegreatestone said: "Yeah, I think they have put some serious work into the water physics, all the way through to the bubbles in the beer. I think water will be a key feature of the game."

DoomsdayFAN said: "My goal is to find this exact spot. Looks amazing."

Players react to potentially controversial feature

Redditors have been reacting to speculation from some social media users they've spotted a pregnant woman NPC in the background of one of the scenes in trailer 2 for GTA 6.

GTA games have very mature themes and including pregnant women could end up being a hugely controversial move if they do appear in GTA 6, especially given the past controversies of some of the content in previous GTA games.

And Redditors have been sharing their thoughts about this in the GTA Subreddit.

BlessdRTheFreaks said: "Might be just that one character."

Impossible-Minute583 said: "I wouldn't be surprised if the pregnant women will be friendly only or a certain way you can't hurt them."

manlike_omzz said: "That's just a relative of Lucia seemingly."

It does seem highly unlikely Rockstar Games would include pregnant women. The studio has shown off NPCs with more different body types than ever in the first two trailers for GTA 6.

To be clear, pregnant women appearing in GTA 6 has not been confirmed and is speculation.

GTA 6 trailer 2 amazingly recreated in GTA 5

That didn't take too long - GTA 6 trailer 2 has been reimagined as if it was set in GTA 5.

YouTuber Gu1maz posted the scene-for-scene recreation of the trailer, with Michael acting as Jason - and Trevor as Lucia.

It's as mad and chaotic as you'd expect and it's gone down incredibly well on the GTA 6 Subreddit too.

'GTA 6 v Google Maps locations' comparison

A popular GTA 6 Subreddit post has compared how Rockstar's Vice City compares to Miami, the city that section of the game is based on.

ProfessionalPop2348 posted screenshots from the trailer and from Google Maps, comparing the beach, the highway, skyscrapers, stadiums and motels.

And Redditors have been left in awe at how lifelike and detailed Rockstar's Vice City is.

xShawnMendesx said: "The graphics are so beautiful."

Mister_Frowdo said: "Is it just me, or does the scale come really close to the real life variant? I mean, it's not 1:1 and I don't expect it to be, but man... Those are some big distances to drive, fly or sail and I love it!"

Ok_Brother9262 said: "The real life looks like game lmao. Rockstar did a pretty good job."

FrostyJurassic said: "GTA 6 is so much more gorgeous than the real life."

En4cr said: "Goodness this is absolutely bonkers. I'm gonna need to take at least two weeks of vacation next year. 😅"

GTA 6 is set in the fictional state of Leonida, based on Florida.

New Mapping Project update reaction

Redditors have been reacting to the latest speculated in-game map for GTA 6.

The Mapping Project is an online community that's piecing together what the in-game map is likely to look like based on co-ordinates from the trailers, screenshots, Rockstar's website, leaks and widespread speculation.

The community continues to work through the latest information shared by Rockstar and in this update, the big changes are that Ambrosia has been added and Lake Leonida has been updated based on new triangulation data and some speculation, according to the change log.

There's also been an update of Vice City International Airport - and it looks huge - along with a "cleanup" of Port Gellhorn. Mount Kalaga's speculative position has been tweaked too.

And Redditors have been sharing their thoughts on what they've seen so far.

Rude_Improvement7467 said: "That's one big a** airport."

greninjagamer2678 said: "Really love the airport and the Keys being so detailed."

Cool_Newspaper5891 said: "The airport is almost bigger than the city."

To be clear, the map has not yet been officially revealed by Rockstar.

'Niko is still the best protagonist'

Obbe Vermeij thinks GTA 4 "should" be remastered, adding he thinks its protagonist is the best in any GTA game to date.

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.

Replying to a comment on X / Twitter about the rumoured GTA 4 remaster, Vermeij said: "I would like to see it updated. Niko is still the best protagonist in any GTA game I think."

Another potentially controversial feature?

There's another social media theory doing the rounds that could lead to a hugely controversial feature.

Social media users claim they've spotted a pregnant woman NPC in the background of one of the scenes in trailer 2 for GTA 6.

As previously mentioned, kids have never featured in a Grand Theft Auto game before, and neither have pregnant women or babies.

GTA games have very mature themes and including pregnant women could end up being a hugely controversial move if they do appear in GTA 6, especially given the past controversies of some of the content in previous GTA games.

However it seems highly unlikely Rockstar Games would do this. The studio has shown off NPCs with more different body types than ever in the first two trailers for GTA 6.

Pregnant women appearing in GTA 6 has not been confirmed and is speculation.

Trailer 2 and screenshots 'reveal' hugely controversial feature

There is widespread speculation on social media that kids could feature in GTA 6.

In a zoomed in screenshot that's been widely shared, some users are claiming they have spotted a kid as one of the NPCs.

Kids have never featured in Grand Theft Auto games before. GTA games have very mature themes and this would likely end up being a hugely controversial move if they do appear in GTA 6, especially given the past controversies of some of the content in previous GTA games.

Kids did infrequently appear in Red Dead Redemption 2 but could only be interacted with in a very limited way.

Kids appearing in GTA 6 has not been confirmed and is speculation.

New Mapping Project update

The latest speculated in-game map for GTA 6 has been revealed.

The Mapping Project is an online community that's piecing together what the in-game map is likely to look like based on co-ordinates from the trailers, screenshots, Rockstar's website, leaks and widespread speculation.

The community continues to work through the latest information shared by Rockstar and in this update, the big changes are that Ambrosia has been added and Lake Leonida has been updated based on new triangulation data and some speculation, according to the change log.

There's also been an update of Vice City International Airport - and it looks huge - along with a "cleanup" of Port Gellhorn. Mount Kalaga's speculative position has been tweaked too.

To be clear, the map has not yet been officially revealed by Rockstar.

May 2026 release date 'not guaranteed' says industry insider

A Bloomberg article from Jason Schreier says "there's no guarantee that May 2026 is a sure thing" for GTA 6.

GTA 6 was delayed from Autumn 2025 to May 26 2026 by Rockstar Games on May 2.

Rockstar has a track record of delaying a game to make sure it is in a complete state before release - Red Dead Redemption 2 was delayed twice before release and GTA 5 and GTA 4 were both delayed too.

Rockstar has only just announced a delay and social media is now in meltdown about the potential of GTA 6 being delayed further.

To be clear, this will not be known for months and months, most likely until the end of 2025 or the start of 2026 if the recent delay timeframe is anything to go by.

Former Rockstar dev's 'priceless' reaction to GTA 6 characters 

A former Rockstar developer had a "priceless reaction" when going through the GTA 6 website.

Mike York was an animator at the studio from 2012 to 2017 having worked on GTA 5, GTA Online and Red Dead Redemption 2.

And he was left completely stunned when looking at the Real Dimez characters.

In a video posted on social media, York on a stream said: "This is absolutely bananas. Look at her vibing, look at her hair, that's in game, I can tell that's in game... Oh f***."

ICYMI: Release date delay 'absolutely necessary' Rockstar insider says, it's claimed

A Rockstar insider said a release date delay is "absolutely necessary" as content was being cut, it's claimed by a prominent social media account.

@GameRoll_ regularly posts about GTA 6 and Rockstar Games and correctly identified the full names of main protagonists Lucia and Jason weeks before they were officially revealed.

The YouTuber said a source told him about these names in advance. And @GameRoll_ has now said the same source revealed to them the recent delay announcement was "absolutely necessary".

@GameRoll_ posted: "One thing I'll also say is that this source made it very clear to me that a delay to 2026 was ABSOLUTELY necessary.

"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."

On May 2, Rockstar announced GTA 6 was delayed from Autumn 2025 to May 26 2026.

Expected performance across all consoles revealed by tech experts

Tech experts at Digital Foundry have given their verdicts about how GTA 6 is likely to run across all consoles and it may not be good news for those wanting to play the game on Xbox Series S.

Speaking about that console in particular, Richard Leadbetter, founder of Digital Foundry, said: "You don't have the memory bandwidth, which could be problematic, and you don't have the same amount of memory so there are going to be cutbacks."

Expanding on that, Oliver Mackenzie said: "Greatly decreased rendering resolution could be the first thing, lower texture streaming quality, lower texture detail assets, lower res shadow volumetric assets, reduced ray tracing quality big time, possibly the removal of ray tracing reflections.

"That's one I think they could probably remove but it would not look very pretty because this game is full of glossy surfaces, it's full of artificial environments, it really does appear to rely on ray traced reflections to an extent I've never seen before in a game.

"The hair strand system could be replaced with some crappy looking hair currents."

"Scaling down is going to be challenging," Alex Battaglia, video producer, added. He also spoke about what's expected from the PS5 Pro.

"If that's an area [draw distance] that's cut back on PS5, it would be wonderful to see PS5 Pro extend that, I think that would be very useful," he added.

"RT [ray tracing] quality and distance will be most interesting, utilising the expanding ray tracing capabilities of the hardware," Mackenzie agreed.

Digital Foundry previously said it does not expect the game to run on Nintendo Switch 2 as it's "too big". The game is currently only confirmed to release on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.

GTA 4 port coming to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S claims insider

Moving away from GTA 6 for a sec, a port of GTA 4 may be coming to the current generation of consoles as soon as this year, according to an insider.

Tez2 is a dataminer, someone who analyses game files such as code to uncover information about unknown or unreleased content, and regularly posts updates about Rockstar Games.

Comments from the user in response to a question about a GTA 4 port on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S have been spotted on an online forum.

Read the full story here.