GTA 6 Delay to 2026: Gaming Industry Reacts with Memes, Humor

After GTA 6 delay: Gaming industry and fans go crazy on the internet

After Rockstar announced that GTA 6 would be delayed until 2026, developers reacted with jokes, insiders with analyses and fans with desperate memes.

The news hits like a bombshell: GTA 6 won’t be released until May 26, 2026. What many fans already considered a dark premonition has now become bitter reality. But instead of falling into silent mourning, the gaming community is processing its shock in perhaps the healthiest way possible: with a healthy dose of gallows humor and creative energy.

The industry reacts with a wink to the new GTA 6 release

Renowned industry insiders promptly spoke out and took the situation with humor. Tom Warren and Tom Henderson, both well-known gaming journalists, publicly joked that game developers should now announce all their titles for the end of 2025—apparently assuming that their biggest competitor is now out of the way.

The development studio Naughty Dog, known for hits like “The Last of Us,” was particularly creative. With a wink, they announced that their fictional game “Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet” would definitely not be released on May 26, 2026—a clear dig at the new GTA release date and, at the same time, an example of how the industry is handling the situation. Rockstar had recently announced the delay of GTA 6 via tweet. This brings the wait for the supposedly greatest video game of all time to almost 12 years.

GTA 6 lets some competitors celebrate delay

While GTA fans mourn, others sense their chance. Luke Dale, actor and voice of Hans Capon in the critically acclaimed “Kingdom Come Deliverance 2,” summed it up: He publicly celebrated that his game now has a realistic chance of winning the coveted “Game of the Year 2025” award—an award that many industry observers already saw firmly in Rockstar Games’ hands.

The postponement actually creates space for other titles that would otherwise have been overshadowed by the gaming giant. Developers and publishers are likely now frantically rethinking their marketing strategies to fill the resulting vacuum and capitalize on the unexpected attention.

Biggest gaming insider reveals the real reason for the GTA 6 delay

While fans and parts of the industry reacted with surprise, renowned gaming journalist Jason Schreier was hardly surprised. He shared his assessment on BlueSky: “No one I’ve spoken to at Rockstar has believed for a long time that fall 2025 is a realistic timeframe. Too much work, too little time, and an obvious desire by management to avoid brutal crunch.”

Schreier’s statement provides insight into the reality of game development. The “crunch”—extreme overtime in the final stages of development—has been criticized for years. Rockstar’s apparent attempt to avoid it could be seen as a positive sign for working conditions in the industry, even if it means a longer wait for fans.

GTA 6 community fluctuates between despair and resignation

On Reddit, the epicenter of gaming discussions, an unprecedented emotional turmoil is raging. “I’ll be 30 when this game comes out. THIRTY!” writes one despairing fan, summing up the feelings of many who grew up with the series and now feel like an entire phase of their lives has passed.

Other fans take it stoically: “Better a finished game in 2026 than a broken one in 2025” is a frequently repeated mantra. The community seems divided between those who accept the delay as a necessary evil and others who can barely hide their disappointment and are already making dire predictions for further delays.

GTA 6 release postponed: Publisher Take-Two’s shares plummet

The rumors are true: Grand Theft Auto VI (GTA 6) will not be released this year.

On Friday, GTA developer Rockstar Games (Rockstar for short) announced that the company now plans to release the computer game in May 2026. Shares of Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive (Take Two for short), fell by as much as eight percent on Friday morning. GTA 6, which has been in the works for years, is one of the most anticipated games of all time.

An early trailer for the game, released in 2023, broke the record for most views on YouTube in one day for a non-music video, garnering nearly 93 million views, as Variety reported at the time. The trailer has now garnered more than 251 million views, second only to the mobile game Subway Surfers, which has garnered more than 361 million views.

Waiting times for GTA games give rise to viral meme

The game’s release will be the first release of a main series GTA game since Grand Theft Auto V (GTA 5) in 2013. The unusually long time between releases has even inspired a popular meme: “We got (insert long-awaited thing) before GTA 6.”

In a statement, Rockstar stated that the “interest and excitement surrounding a new Grand Theft Auto has been truly overwhelming for our entire team.” “With every game we’ve released, our goal has always been to exceed your expectations, and Grand Theft Auto VI is no exception,” the company said. “We hope you understand that we need this additional time to deliver the quality you expect and deserve.”

Take-Two CEO expects “period of growth”

In March 2024, the gaming website Kotaku, citing sources familiar with the game’s development. Reported that the release date could be pushed back to 2026. This was prompted by reports of slowed progress and return-to-office requirements for Rockstar employees. This sparked speculation that Rockstar was behind schedule and trying to increase productivity.

In a third-quarter earnings call in February. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said they expect. The 2025 calendar year to be a “watershed moment” for the company thanks to GTA 6. “From the groundbreaking release of Grand Theft Auto 6 to the unmatched pipeline 2K will deliver. We are confident we will usher in a new period of growth. And returns for our shareholders,” he said on the call.

When asked how Take-Two plans to reactivate GTA’s player base after such a long time. Zelnick said that Rockstar “strives for perfection in everything they do.” He also told investors, “We believe that if we do this right and focus on delivering something to consumers. That’s our best chance to be successful.”

Conclusion: GTA is to be a “blockbuster entertainment experience”

In a statement on Friday, Take-Two said that despite the delay of GTA 6. It still expects record sales in fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

“We fully support Rockstar Games taking additional time to realize their creative vision for Grand Theft Auto VI. Which promises to be a groundbreaking, blockbuster entertainment experience that exceeds audience expectations,” Zelnick said in the statement. “We take the development of our titles very seriously. And are delighted by the deep and profound global anticipation for Grand Theft Auto VI. But we also remain steadfast in our commitment to excellence.”

Take-Two’s biggest releases planned for 2025 include Borderlands 4 and Mafia: The Old Country, both sequels to popular game franchises.

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Sources used:

• With material from the News agencies  dpa and AFP, ntv.de, Reuters news agency, BBC News and CNN reports. The content has been independently analyzed and rewritten to provide original insights.

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