Rockstar Games has further delayed the releaseโฃ of “Grand Theft Auto VI” (“GTA VI“)โ to Thursday, November 19, 2026, the studioโ announcedโข via a statement on X. The declaration follows previous postponements; the โgame wasโ originally slated for release โคin late 2025, then moved to May 2026. โขRockstar stated the โadditional time is needed “to finish the game at theโค high levelโ of quality you’ve come โขtoโ expect and deserve.”
The forthcoming title is anticipatedโค by industry analystsโ to be one of the highest-grossing entertainmentโค products in the comingโฃ years.โ
Simultaneousโ with โthe delay announcement, Rockstar Games has reportedly laid off dozens ofโ employees. โAccording to โขBloomberg, between 30 and 40 employees acrossโฃ offices in โฃtheโค U.K. and โฃCanada were terminated for “gross misconduct” after โขsharing internal information โขabout the game on the onlineโข forum Discord. A company spokesperson told Bloomberg, “Last week, we took action against a small number of individuals who โขdisseminated andโ discussed confidential โขinformation in a public forum,” which โconstitutes a violationโค of company โpolicies.
Rockstar Gamesโ refuted claims that the layoffs were connected to unionโค activity. Theโฃ Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain, the frist union for video game developers in the UK, alleged the dismissals โwere “one of the moast blatant and โขreckless cases of โฃunion-busting inโ theโ history of the gamesโ industry,” a claim the company firmlyโฃ rejected.
The โcompany, โขowned byโ Take-Two โฃInteractive Software Inc., has increased security measures following aโ 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 โคconcerns, a move the union previously described โฃas “reckless.”