Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick feels very confident that Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch on schedule in May 2026. Of course, this isn’t the first time he’s said he’s confident in the game releasing on time.
On Monday, in a new interview with CNBC, as spotted by GameSpot, the head of Rockstar Games’ parent company was asked about Grand Theft Auto 6, the hype around the game, and, of course, whether it will launch on time. Specifically, the host asked Zelnick what his “level of conviction” was that GTA 6 would launch on May 26, 2026. Zelnick replied that his “level of conviction is very, very high, obviously.” The host then asked about high expectations for the game and how Rockstar and Take-Two are dealing with that.
“We try not to pump expectations, right?” said Zelnick. “I think Rockstar’s whole stock and trade is to have these extraordinary expectations and still to beat them. I know that’s their goal. I know it’s going to be an amazing game. The rest we’ll see in the fullness of time.”
Some online took this as gospel that GTA 6 won’t be delayed again. But the reality is that while Zelnick is aware of the game’s development status, what he says publicly is never going to be a completely transparent answer. He also isn’t a game developer, and making games is hard. Landing a release date is challenging, even when not working on a massive game like GTA 6. And Zelnick has been wrong before.
In February, he told IGN that while there’s always a “risk” of a game being delayed, he still felt “really good about” it launching as planned in 2025. Less than two months later, Grand Theft Auto 6 was delayed until May 2026.
I don’t think Zelnick is lying or trying to deceive. But as the head of a large, publicly traded company, he has to exude confidence about the future. Everything is going great, until it’s not. Personally, I’m convinced GTA 6 won’t be delayed again. But I also have no idea. The only people who really might have that information are the folks working on GTA 6 right now, and even they probably can’t be sure whether it will or won’t nail its date. Games are messy things to create and often come together at the very end. So don’t put much stock into what the suit-wearing number cruncher at the top thinks will happen.
Grand Theft Auto 6, set in sunny Vice City, will (probably) launch on May 26, 2026 on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.
