In the high-stakes world of triple-A gaming, no title carries more weight than Grand Theft Auto VI. As we sit in late February 2026, the gaming community is once again bracing itself for the final stretch toward the currently scheduled release date of November 19, 2026. However, getting to this point has been a decade-long saga of anticipation, massive leaks, and shifting goalposts.

The road officially began in February 2022, when Rockstar Games confirmed what the world already knew: active development for the next entry was “well underway.” But the narrative took a chaotic turn in September 2022 when a historic server breach led to the leak of over 90 videos showing early development footage of the state of Leonida.

Following a year of silence, the “Great Hype Train” truly left the station in December 2023. After a leak forced their hand once more, Rockstar dropped the first official trailer a day early on December 4. That trailer didn’t just break the internet; it set the first official stake in the ground with a “Coming 2025” window. Fans were ecstatic, and by May 2024, parent company Take-Two Interactive narrowed that window even further to Fall 2025.

However, the “Rockstar Delay” tradition soon reared its head. On May 2, 2025, the studio broke hearts by announcing the first major postponement, pushing the game to May 26, 2026. Rockstar cited the need for “extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect.” Just as fans began circling late spring on their calendars, the hammer dropped again. On November 6, 2025, the date was moved once more to its current target, November 19, 2026.

This latest six-month shift has sent ripples through the industry. Competitors like Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight have scrambled to fill the vacated May window, while others are fleeing the 2026 holiday season to avoid the “GTA eclipse.” With marketing slated to begin this summer, the world is holding its breath. We’ve waited 13 years since GTA V; another few months for a polished masterpiece seems like a fair trade provided this date actually sticks