In the wide, colourful and convoluted world of video games, there’s no shortage of divisive topics. But one that keeps coming up time and time again is the delay of highly anticipated launch dates. The delay on everyone’s mind is, of course, GTA VI, a game that’s fair to say might be one of the most anticipated products of all time.
Last week, the release date received its second delay, this time shifting from May 2026 to November 19, 2026. Developer Rockstar was apologetic and sincere as ever, saying “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.”
And despite that, look into the comments section, search up GTA VI on any social media platform, and you’ll see boatloads of complaints. Some pretty funny memes, too, even from fellow developers, but I thought we’ve learned by now that major delays like this are, when used correctly, a good thing.
https://t.co/SqC2ZYRK6s https://t.co/l5o58PULml
— Cyberpunk 2077 (@CyberpunkGame) November 6, 2025
Like Rockstar said themselves, a delay comes from the perspective of quality assurance, because fans of major franchises expect nothing less than the best. And let’s be honest, Rockstar is under an immense amount of pressure to get this right, with its last two releases (GTA V and Red Dead Redemption II) being two of the most profitable and popular video games of all time.
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When developers rush a release date to submit to rabid fans or misguided objectives, anything other than perfecting the product, we end up with a release sooner, sure, but a release that’s riddled with bugs and technical mishaps. Let’s take one of the best recent examples.
December 10, 2020. Cyberpunk 2077 has just been released seven years after its announcement, and hype has risen to a fever pitch. The game is a technical disaster. Refunds are demanded, Xbox issues it with warning labels, PlayStation even pulls the game from its digital storefront. If you could ignore the bugs, it was still a pretty great game. Still, CD Projekt Red’s joint CEO told Eurogamer it was “one of the worst moments of my life.”
The reason behind that release was complicated, but CD Projekt Red was running out of rope and had to choose between a bad or worse state to launch. Of course, in the years since the game’s release, it has recovered and even improved, making it now one of the best RPG games of the decade.
Rockstar’s publisher, Take-Two, has always prioritised a quality release over a quick release. Take Mafia II and L.A. Noire, six and seven years of development respectively, and at least in L.A. Noire’s case, it paid off in making the game an instant classic.
Naturally, no developer wants to delay a game and disappoint, and you can’t say for sure how your product will perform until it hits the open market. But wouldn’t you rather wait another few months to play a game that’s worth the price tag? It’s quality assurance, a decision rooted in common sense by professionals who know a hell of a lot more about how to make a video game than you or I.
You’ve earned your right to complain about waiting another six months when you’ve worked in a team of creatives saddled with making a worthy sequel to a product that’s generated over $10 billion in revenue and is held in the highest regard by the 220 million+ people who played it, and continue to play it, twelve years after release. ‘Nuff said.
GTA VI is currently set to release on November 19, 2026, for Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. Find out more or preorder on the Rockstar website.
