Grand Theft Auto fans are bracing themselves as GTA VI moves into its final, high-pressure development phase. New insights from Jason Schreier suggest that despite the approaching launch, significant portions of the project remain incomplete. This update highlights the massive effort required to bring the next chapter of the iconic series to life.
After two prior postponements led to the 19 November 2026 debut, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick maintains he is 'highly confident' in the schedule, yet the sheer scale of the title and the lack of updates from Rockstar Games leave the public worried about a potential third setback for GTA VI.
While indicating that GTA VI was still missing some of its final content and could potentially be pushed back, Jason Schreier of Bloomberg also suggested that the latest debut window appeared to be more 'real' and 'solid' than before.
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Following the Red Dead Redemption 2 Pattern
During a recent guest spot on the Button Mash podcast by Ringer-Verse, the Bloomberg reporter discussed the progress of GTA VI and potential schedule shifts, noting that the title appears to be following the same multi-delay pattern seen with Red Dead Redemption 2.
Rockstar Games originally scheduled Red Dead Redemption 2 for late 2017 and then early 2018, before a secondary delay pushed the launch to 26 October 2018, leading Schreier to remark that he would not be 'super shocked' if GTA VI followed the same pattern of multiple postponements.
This is a complete misunderstanding of what I said, which is that I wouldn't be shocked if GTA6 *does* come out this fall, following the same delay pattern as RDR2. Of course another delay is possible. It's a video game. But this blog post is very misleading (just reach out to me - it's not hard!)
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier.bsky.social) 2026-01-08T14:28:05.843Z
After GTA VI was first revealed in December 2023 with a 2025 window and then narrowed to an autumn launch that year, Rockstar Games shifted the schedule in May 2025 to a May 2026 debut before eventually settling on the existing 19 November 2026 target following a final delay announced that November.
If the launch pattern of Red Dead Redemption 2 serves as a reliable indicator, GTA VI ought to arrive towards the end of this year, assuming the project encounters no further substantial setbacks.
Defining 'Content Complete' in Game Development
During the podcast, Schreier noted that GTA VI had not yet reached its finished state when he last checked, remarking, 'This time around, this is a big and complicated game, and the last I heard, it was still not content complete. That is to say that people were still finishing things up, still finalizing levels and missions, and seeing what's going to make it into the game.'
He further explained, 'Typically, the way that game development works, you have your feature complete, your content complete, your bug testing phases, and there's a lot of boundaries blurred along the way in all of those different stages. But they are still making stuff, and we'll hopefully be done with that soon, and just have a whole bunch of time for fixing bugs. But even during those phases, there's always someone who wants to sneak in some last-minute stuff.'
GTA 6 has been pushed back AGAIN!!
— SAY CHEESE! 👄🧀 (@SaycheeseDGTL) November 6, 2025
It will now release on Thursday, November 19, 2026. pic.twitter.com/7SNyfQdqMT
Schreier, however, stressed that GTA 6's new November 19, 2026, release date felt a little more 'real' and a little more 'solid' than the fall 2025 launch window and even the previous May 26 release date.
Rockstar's Pursuit of a Flawless Launch
Schreier highlighted that since Take-Two's share price is intrinsically linked to the performance of GTA VI, Rockstar is expected to avoid a 'compromised state' at all costs, stating, 'The stock of Take-Two lives or dies on this game. Every time this game slips, their shares drop 10 percent, I should say. So yeah, it's not something that they will release in any sort of compromised state. So, even if it comes to October and they're like, "you know, the game is not a 100 percent ready," I suspect they would rather slip than release it.'
For my first newsletter of 2026 we're diving into this week's GTA VI "delay" debacle, from death threats to Take-Two stock dropping nearly 2% thanks to misinformation from content farms like Dexerto. Here's the whole story: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier.bsky.social) 2026-01-09T18:13:22.283Z
In their most recent update, Rockstar Games noted that the delay was necessary to ensure GTA VI achieves the iconic quality the series is known for, remarking, 'We want to thank you again for your patience and support. While the wait is a little longer, we are incredibly excited for players to experience,' a sentiment echoed by Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick who told IGN he is 'highly confident' in the new launch date.
