GTA 6 release date: November 19, 2026 – platforms, delay history and what's still unconfirmed

Below you'll find the full delay timeline with dates, this year's confirmations, the next official milestone – and a plain list of what Rockstar has not said yet.

Release date and platforms

Rockstar set November 19, 2026, as the launch date in its Newswire post of November 6, 2025, which coincided with Take-Two's results for the second quarter of its 2026 fiscal year (July through September 2025). Pre-orders have been open on both platforms since June 25, 2026, as Rockstar announced in a Newswire post on June 24, 2026.

• PlayStation 5: officially confirmed; there's no PS4 version.
• Xbox Series X|S: officially confirmed; the Xbox Store also lists the game for November 19.
• PC: not announced. Rockstar's Newswire, support pages and store mention only the two console families – that's an observation, not a cancellation.

According to GamesBeat (October 13, 2026), Rockstar plans a PC version for the first quarter of 2027; the outlet cites anonymous industry sources, and neither Rockstar nor Take-Two has confirmed it.

Delay history: from 2025 to November 19, 2026

1. December 4, 2023: Rockstar announces GTA VI for "2025" (press release via Business Wire).
2. May 2024: With its fiscal 2024 results, Take-Two narrows the window to "fall 2025" (per Gematsu); it repeats that window in February 2025.
3. May 2, 2025: Rockstar moves the game to May 26, 2026, via its Newswire, dropping the fall 2025 target.
4. November 6, 2025: Rockstar moves it again, via its Newswire and X, to Thursday, November 19, 2026 – the date that still stands.

Both times, Rockstar cited quality: in May 2025 it asked for more time to meet players' expectations, and in November 2025 it said the extra months were needed for final polish. In both posts, the studio apologized for the longer wait.

2026 confirmations

Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar's parent company, reaffirmed the date with its quarterly reports in May and August 2026, and again in between when pre-orders were announced in June. There's also a press report on an interview with Rockstar North:

• May 21, 2026 (fourth-quarter and fiscal 2026 results): Take-Two confirms November 19. CEO Strauss Zelnick said, in essence, that fiscal 2027 would set new records, driven by the November 19 launch. Outlook: $8.0 billion to $8.2 billion in net bookings.
• June 24, 2026: Rockstar and Take-Two announce pre-orders starting June 25, with November 19, 2026, as the release date (press release via Business Wire).
• Early August 2026 (results for the first quarter of fiscal 2027, April through June): Take-Two reaffirms the date and keeps its full-year outlook of $8.0 billion to $8.2 billion in net bookings.
• October 13, 2026 (report): Insider Gaming reports that Rob Nelson, co-studio head at Rockstar North, reaffirmed November 19 in an interview with the Japanese magazine Famitsu. Several outlets read this as ruling out another delay. We haven't seen the original Famitsu piece or its publication date.

Next key date: Take-Two earnings on November 9, 2026

On October 13, 2026, Take-Two announced via Business Wire that it will report results for the second quarter of fiscal 2027 (July through September 2026) on Monday, November 9, 2026, after the US market close. According to the release, the conference call starts at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, with a webcast and replay on the investor relations site. It's the last earnings report before launch, ten days ahead of November 19. We'll recheck the date afterward.

Pre-load and the physical version: November 12

If you pre-ordered digitally, Rockstar says you can start pre-loading on November 12, 2026 – one week before launch. According to Rockstar Support, the physical version hits stores the same day, specifically so buyers can pre-load. The box doesn't contain a disc, just a download code, so you'll download the full game either way. Pre-loading doesn't mean playing early: no early access has been announced.

How our countdown works

The countdown on our GTA 6 hub runs to 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (America/New_York) on November 19, 2026. That's our display choice, not an official unlock time: Rockstar hasn't said what time the game goes live in any region. The German edition counts down to midnight Central European Time (Europe/Berlin). If Rockstar announces a time, we'll update the countdown.

What is not confirmed

• Unlock time: Rockstar hasn't published a regional schedule, as GamingBible (October 12, 2026) also notes. Unlock-time charts circulating online are based on regional store listings or fan compilations and aren't official.
• Pre-load time: Only the November 12 date is official. Beebom and IBTimes UK cite Rockstar Support for a midnight local time pre-load start; we couldn't confirm that. In Rockstar's pre-order announcement of June 24, 2026, "midnight local time" refers to pre-orders opening on June 25.
• File size: Rockstar hasn't listed a download or install size, and we haven't found a reliable store figure. Numbers making the rounds aren't official – mostly community estimates.
• Day-one update: Rockstar hasn't said anything about a launch patch, including its size or contents.
• Early access and bundles: No early access has been announced, and the sources available to us show no official GTA VI console bundle from Sony, Microsoft or Rockstar.
• "Third delay": GamingBible (May 18, 2026) read a podcast remark by Strauss Zelnick – that the game is about 18 months behind its original plan – as an internal third delay – while noting that November 19 is unaffected. Publicly, the date changed twice; this is not a new delay.

Sources and status

Status as of October 14, 2026. Official information comes from Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive; press reports are labeled in the text with outlet and date.

• Rockstar Newswire, November 6, 2025: release date November 19, 2026, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S
• Rockstar Newswire, May 2, 2025: delay to May 26, 2026
• Business Wire, December 4, 2023: announcement with a 2025 window
• Take-Two Investor Relations, May 21, 2026: confirmation and fiscal 2027 outlook
• Business Wire, August 2026: first-quarter fiscal 2027 results
• Business Wire, October 13, 2026: November 9, 2026 earnings date
• Rockstar Support: pre-load, physical version with download code
• Insider Gaming, October 13, 2026: report on Rob Nelson's statement
• Other official pages linked in the text: Rockstar Newswire, June 24, 2026 (pre-orders), Business Wire, June 24, 2026 (pre-order announcement with release date), Xbox Store (listing), Rockstar Newswire, September 17, 2026 (album)
• Other press reports linked in the text: Gematsu, May 2024, GamesBeat, October 13, 2026, GamingBible, May 18, 2026, GamingBible, October 12, 2026

Launch day also brings "Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album," which Rockstar announced in a Newswire post on September 17, 2026 – more on that in Music & Radio. Follow updates until launch in News and find the major official videos in Trailers. Got questions about launch day? Ask in the Forum.