Confirmed
GTA 6 Release Date: November 19, 2026
Confirmed by Rockstar, reaffirmed by Take-Two, and twice moved before that. Here is the date, the countdown, and the complete record of how it got here.
Confirmed Grand Theft Auto VI launches Thursday, 19 November 2026 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Grand Theft Auto VI launches November 19, 2026
Counting to 00:00 UTC on November 19. Rockstar has confirmed the date but has not announced an unlock time, so treat the clock as the day, not the hour.
The full delay history
Three announced targets in three years. Rockstar's own wording each time is worth reading, because the reason it gave never changed.
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4 December 2023
Announced for “2025”
The reveal. Take-Two's press release confirmed the game, the state of Leonida, Vice City, and a 2025 window for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. No month, no date, and no mention of PC.
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May 2024
Narrowed to Fall 2025
Take-Two tightened the window to autumn 2025 in its investor communications.
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2 May 2025
Delayed to 26 May 2026
Rockstar: “We are very sorry that this is later than you expected… We need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.”
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6 November 2025
Delayed to 19 November 2026
Rockstar: “We are sorry for adding additional time to what we realize has been a long wait… These extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve.”
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August 2026
Date reaffirmed
On Take-Two's quarterly earnings call, CEO Strauss Zelnick reaffirmed the November date and described pre-orders as unprecedented — while adding the caveat that “you can cancel a pre-order. We haven't sold one unit yet.”
Could it move again?
The honest answer is that nobody outside Rockstar can tell you, and anyone who says otherwise is guessing. What can be said is what has changed since the last delay:
- Pre-orders are open and money has been taken. A delay now has a commercial cost that a delay in 2024 did not.
- Rockstar has shown 26 minutes of gameplay. Studios do not usually run a full gameplay presentation on a game that is far from finished.
- Take-Two's financial guidance is built around a November release, and the company reaffirmed both the date and the guidance in August 2026.
- Against all that: both previous delays were announced roughly six months out, and Rockstar has shown twice that it will take the hit rather than ship early.
We will not publish a prediction. If the date moves, Rockstar will say so on its newswire, and this page and the news log will change the same day.
Pre-load and launch logistics
- Confirmed
Digital pre-loading is listed as opening on 12 November 2026, a week before launch.
Take-Two pre-order press release, June 2026 - Confirmed
The Vintage Vice City Pack pre-order bonus is available with digital purchases through 20 November 2026, and with physical pre-orders while stocks last.
Rockstar pre-order page, June 2026 - No word
An unlock time. Rockstar has not said whether the game unlocks at midnight local time, at a single global moment, or otherwise.
No official information published - No word
Install size. Nothing official, which also means nobody can tell you how much space to clear.
No official information published
Why the countdown above stops at the day, not the hour. Because Rockstar has not announced an unlock time. Plenty of countdown sites pick midnight in some timezone and present it as precise. We would rather tell you what is actually known.
Why November 19 is an unusual date
A Thursday in the third week of November puts the launch inside the holiday window but after the traditional early-November slot that large releases have used for years. It gives retail a full weekend immediately, and it lands ahead of the US Thanksgiving shopping period rather than during it.
Rockstar has not explained the choice, and we are not going to invent a reason for it.
Related
Sources
- Grand Theft Auto VI is Now Set to Launch November 19, 2026 — Rockstar Newswire, 6 November 2025.
- Grand Theft Auto VI is Now Coming May 26, 2026 — Rockstar Newswire, 2 May 2025.
- Rockstar Games Announces Grand Theft Auto VI, Coming 2025 — Take-Two Interactive, 4 December 2023.
- Pre-order announcement — Take-Two Interactive, 24 June 2026.
Every factual claim above is labelled as confirmed or unconfirmed and traced to the source listed here. Where Rockstar has said nothing, this page says so rather than filling the gap.