Rockstar Games has further delayed the release of “Grand Theft Auto VI” (“GTA VI“) to Thursday, November 19, 2026, the studio announced via a statement on X. The declaration follows previous postponements; the game was originally slated for release in late 2025, then moved to May 2026. Rockstar stated the additional time is needed “to finish the game at the high level of quality you’ve come to expect and deserve.”
The forthcoming title is anticipated by industry analysts to be one of the highest-grossing entertainment products in the coming years.
Simultaneous with the delay announcement, Rockstar Games has reportedly laid off dozens of employees. According to Bloomberg, between 30 and 40 employees across offices in the U.K. and Canada were terminated for “gross misconduct” after sharing internal information about the game on the online forum Discord. A company spokesperson told Bloomberg, “Last week, we took action against a small number of individuals who disseminated and discussed confidential information in a public forum,” which constitutes a violation of company policies.
Rockstar Games refuted claims that the layoffs were connected to union activity. The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain, the frist union for video game developers in the UK, alleged the dismissals were “one of the moast blatant and reckless cases of union-busting in the history of the games industry,” a claim the company firmly rejected.
The company, owned by Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., has increased security measures following a significant data breach in 2022 that leaked unfinished “GTA VI” footage. In early 2024, Rockstar mandated a five-day-a-week return to office, citing security concerns, a move the union previously described as “reckless.”
