Grand Theft Auto VI releases on Thursday, November 19, 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. As of this update (August 8, 2026), that is 103 days away — pre-orders are open, the marketing campaign is running, and the date is embedded in Take-Two's own financial guidance.
The full announcement timeline
GTA 6's release date changed twice on the way to November 19. Here is every official beat, with Rockstar's own announcements linked:
- December 4, 2023 — "Coming 2025." Trailer 1 attached the first public target: the year 2025, for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. No month, no day.
- May 16, 2024 — narrowed to Fall 2025. Take-Two tightened the window to "Fall of calendar 2025" in its earnings, as Variety reported, while leaving the exact date to Rockstar.
- May 2, 2025 — first delay, to May 26, 2026. Rockstar announced on the Newswire that the game was leaving 2025: "Grand Theft Auto VI is now set to release on May 26, 2026. We are very sorry that this is later than you expected." Trailer 2 followed four days later, on May 6.
- November 6, 2025 — second delay, to the final date. A second Newswire post moved the game to November 19, 2026, citing the "level of polish you have come to expect and deserve." Take-Two backed the date the same day in its earnings.
- June 25, 2026 — pre-orders open. Rockstar opened pre-orders and confirmed pricing and editions — the traditional point of no return for a Rockstar date.
Since then the date has only hardened: Take-Two reaffirmed it at every 2026 earnings call, and confirmed the marketing campaign for summer 2026 — spending Take-Two historically doesn't commit until a game is locked. At its August 7, 2026 earnings call, Take-Two reiterated its full fiscal-2027 net bookings guidance of $8.0-8.2 billion, citing "excitement around the November 19th launch." If you want the deeper "will it slip a third time?" analysis, including the Red Dead Redemption 2 precedent, that's the job of our delay-history guide; this page tracks when, that one weighs whether.
Platforms at launch
GTA 6 launches on exactly two platforms: PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
- PC: not announced. Rockstar's pattern (GTA 5, Red Dead Redemption 2) is a PC port one-plus years after console launch, but for GTA 6 nothing is confirmed — the PC version tracker follows every official statement.
- PS4 / Xbox One: no last-generation version exists or is planned; the game targets current-generation hardware only (details here).
- Switch, mobile, cloud: never mentioned by Rockstar in any announcement.
Note that the physical release for both consoles is a boxed download code with no disc, so every player needs a full download and the storage to hold it — see the file size guide for what to expect.
What happens between now and launch day
November 12, 2026 — preload opens. Digital pre-orders can download the game a week early, per Rockstar's pre-order details. Given launch-night traffic on PSN and Xbox Live, preloading in that quiet week is the difference between playing at unlock and staring at a progress bar.
November 19, 2026 — unlock. The hour is the one launch detail Rockstar hasn't published. Its previous launches (GTA 5, RDR2) unlocked at midnight local time region by region, which would mean New Zealand plays first while it's still November 18 in the Americas. Our release time guide maps the likely unlock hour for every region and will carry the official times the moment they're announced.
November 20, 2026 — pre-order bonus cutoff. The Vintage Vice City Pack is included with all orders through the day after launch — the pre-order guide covers the bonus, the stores, and their refund policies.
What launches on the 19th is a single-player game: two protagonists, Jason and Lucia, across the state of Leonida. No online mode has been announced for launch — the GTA 6 Online guide separates what's confirmed from what's assumed.
Why this date, in context
November 19, 2026 lands thirteen years after GTA 5 — the longest gap between mainline entries in series history, more than double the previous record. It also puts GTA 6 squarely in the holiday quarter Rockstar used for GTA 5 (September 2013) and RDR2 (October 2018). Both of those games also shipped on their post-delay date, which is the strongest historical argument that this one ships on schedule. For the full road from the 2022 leak through both trailers to today, see the story so far.
What's your GTA 6 launch plan?
Sources
- https://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/258aa538o412ok/grand-theft-auto-vi-is-now-coming-may-26-2026
- https://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/ak3ak31a49a221/grand-theft-auto-vi-is-now-set-to-launch-november-19-2026
- https://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/5171972o3ak5oa/pre-order-grand-theft-auto-vi-on-june-25
- https://variety.com/2024/gaming/news/grand-theft-auto-6-release-date-fall-2025-take-two-earnings-1236006589/
- https://variety.com/2026/gaming/news/gta-5-no-delay-price-marketing-summer-1236755303/
- https://www.gtabase.com/articles/gta-6/gta-6-editions-guide-pre-order-bonus-special-editions-content
- https://www.take2games.com/ir/news/take-two-interactive-software-inc-reports-results-fiscal-first-6
FAQ
When does GTA 6 come out?
Grand Theft Auto VI releases on Thursday, November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. As of this update, that's 115 days away.
Has GTA 6 been delayed?
Yes, twice. The original 2025 window was pushed to May 26, 2026 (announced May 2, 2025), then to the final date of November 19, 2026 (announced November 6, 2025). Both announcements were made on the Rockstar Newswire.
Is GTA 6 releasing on PC?
No PC version has been announced. GTA 6 launches only on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S; Rockstar historically brings its games to PC well after console launch, but nothing is confirmed for GTA 6.
Could GTA 6 be delayed again?
Nothing suggests it. Take-Two has reaffirmed November 19, 2026 at every 2026 earnings call — including its August 7, 2026 call, where it reiterated FY2027 guidance of $8.0-8.2 billion citing 'excitement around the November 19th launch' — opened pre-orders, and started the marketing campaign — all signals that the date is holding.
When can I preload GTA 6?
Preload for digital pre-orders opens November 12, 2026, one week before launch, per Rockstar's pre-order details.
Updated 2026-08-08