According to Eurogamer.net, Take-Two Interactive just announced that GTA 6 has been delayed from May 26, 2026 to November 19, 2026 – a roughly six-month pushback. This marks the second delay this year after the game previously slipped into May 2026. Immediately following the 9pm UK time announcement, Take-Two stock plummeted 8%, wiping out about $30 per share in value by 9:35pm. Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick defended the move, saying Rockstar needs “additional time to finish the game with the high level of polish players expect” and noting it’s still within the same fiscal year. Despite the optimism from leadership, investors are clearly spooked as the stock continues to fall.
The investor panic is real
Here’s the thing about game delays – they’re expensive. Really expensive. When you’re talking about a project the size of GTA 6, every month of delay means millions in ongoing development costs, marketing expenses, and most importantly, delayed revenue. That 8% stock drop isn’t just investors being impatient – it’s them recalculating their entire financial models for the next two years. And honestly? They’re probably right to be concerned.
The “polish” problem
Rockstar’s obsession with perfection is both their greatest strength and biggest weakness. We’ve seen this pattern before – they’ll delay games repeatedly until they meet some internal standard that nobody else even understands. But is six months really necessary for “polish”? That seems like an awfully long time for what should be final tweaks and bug fixes. Either they’re being incredibly thorough, or there are deeper development issues they’re not talking about. My guess? It’s probably both.
Long-term outlook
Let’s be real though – GTA 6 is going to make absurd amounts of money whenever it launches. Take-Two confirmed earlier this year that GTA 5 has sold 210 million copies over 12 years. That’s just insane numbers. So while this delay hurts short-term, the long-term picture remains incredibly strong. The question isn’t whether GTA 6 will be successful – it’s whether Take-Two can manage investor expectations through these repeated setbacks. Because at this rate, nobody’s going to believe any release date they announce.
