A renowned gaming industry insider has given his verdict on whether or not GTA 6 will be delayed for a third time.
In November 2025, Rockstar Games delayed the release of GTA 6 to 19 November 2026 “to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve”, the studio said in a statement.
Despite the wait, Grand Theft Auto 6 is the most anticipated video game of all time and gamers continue to track rumours, leaks, map details, gameplay mechanics, trailer updates and screenshots.
Follow indy100’s GTA 6 live blog below for all the latest news, leaks, rumours, trailers and release date updates as they happen.
Release date delay verdict revealed by insider
Renowned gaming industry insider Tom Henderson has given an encouraging prediction on if GTA 6 will release on 19 November 2026 or if it will be delayed for a third time.
Henderson said on the latest episode of Insider Gaming Weekly: “I think Rockstar is confident enough now it will release this year.”
Mike Straw also appeared on the podcast and gave his verdict on GTA 6 pricing.
“I think $80,” he said. “There will be a $100, there will be a $130 version but I think the base game will be $80. There will be a $300 collector’s edition, we know that they’re going to do something.”
Both Henderson and Straw made it clear these are predictions and not reports.
Former Rockstar developer’s verdict on GTA 6 release date
Mike York, a former Rockstar Games and GTA 5 animator, recently told Esports Insider he thinks the game will release on 19 November 2026 as planned and warned if it doesn’t, people will stop caring about it.
“If I know Rockstar Games, and I know the guys over there, one of the reasons for the delay in releasing GTA 6 is because they’re trying to make it look as best as it can possibly be,” he said.
“They’re polishing stuff. I don’t think they’re completely finished with the game, given how much is on the line and how big everyone’s expectations are for it.
“They’re trying to hit those expectations. Internally they might not have hit those expectations yet, they will be saying we can’t release it yet as we need to make it better.
“I think the game will be released in November 2026 as it’s a good time for the game to come out for Rockstar for multiple reasons to sell video games. If you want to sell a big amount of video games then that’s the perfect time for GTA 6 to come out with it being a month before Christmas.
“It gives people the perfect amount of time to order the game before Christmas. I think GTA 6 will be ready for release in November, usually companies only delay these things once or twice when they need to, so I think it will come out around that time.”
York also said Rockstar cannot afford to delay GTA 6 any further because it runs the risk of killing some of the hype around it.
He said: “It’s definitely in Rockstar’s interests to hit its scheduled November 2026 release date target and get the game out to avoid the hype dying down. There’s a point to where you delay something so much that you start to make people angry.”
Reaction to third release date delay being feared by vast majority of gamers
Redditors in the GTA 6 Subreddit have been reacting to YouTuber DarkViperAU’s poll revealing 80 per cent of 302k votes believe the game will be delayed again.
MisunderstoodBadger1 said: “A mixture of pessimism, memes, setting lower expectations.”
Str33tJustus said: “Expect the worst and hope for the best.”
Least_Stand_2707 said: “If they delay it to 2027 then people will start saying they’ll delay into 2028.”
surplus_steve said: “It’s simple. Most of us have no confidence in Rockstar to deliver on time.”
darkfaro said: “I just don’t care anymore to be honest there are a lot of good games coming in 2026 so we are good.”
Third release date delay feared by vast majority of gamers
A vast majority of gamers are fearful that Rockstar Games may delay GTA 6 beyond its 19 November 2026 release date.
The game was due to release in Autumn 2025 before Rockstar postponed it to 26 May 2026 and then again to 19 November 2026.
YouTuber DarkViperAU posted a poll on his YouTube channel asking people if they think GTA 6 will release as planned on 19 November 2026 or it will be delayed yet again.
At the time of writing, there have been 302k votes and 80 per cent think the game will be delayed for a third time.
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