Before delays, GTA 6 was seemingly slated for an early 2025 launch, as Take-Two CEO suggests the game is about 18 months behind the original date'

• Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick suggests GTA 6 was supposed to launch over a year ago
• Zelnick told David Senra that "we're about 18 months behind the original date"
• The game is now scheduled to launch on November 19

Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has suggested that Grand Theft Auto 6 is more than a year behind schedule.

In a recent interview with David Senra about his career, Zelnick briefly touched on the highly anticipated Rockstar Games title, which is expected to sell millions at launch.

At one point the host, who seemed unaware that GTA 6 has a firm release date, asked the CEO about the timeline pressure that comes with getting the game out to fans, after which Zelnick suggested it was originally slated for an early 2025 launch.

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"I think we're about 18 months behind the original date. Not much more than that," Zelnick said.

GTA 6 had a tentative fall 2025 release date before it was delayed to May 26, 2026. However, shortly after the game's second trailer dropped and the internet exploded, Rockstar released a statement confirming that it had delayed the game again, this time to November 19, 2026.

"We are sorry for adding additional time to what we realize has been a long wait, but these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve," the studio said at the time.

Zelnick recently suggested that marketing for the game will kick off soon, and it appears to have done so, after PlayStation 4 users who had wishlisted GTA 6 started receiving messages urging them to upgrade to a PlayStation 5.

It also appears that Best Buy has leaked the pre-order date for GTA 6 via an affiliate email, with reports claiming pre-orders will last from May 18 to May 21.

GTA 6 is officially coming to current-gen consoles on November 19, including PS5 and Xbox Series X and Series S, but Zelnick has confirmed that the game won't be coming to PC.

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