GTA 6 releases on Thursday, November 19, 2026, on PS5, PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X|S. Take-Two reconfirmed the date in its Nov 9, 2026 earnings release, which opens: “The launch of Grand Theft Auto VI is ten days away.” On the call, executives said Rockstar has finished development and the marketing campaign is fully set. confirmed
The game unlocks at midnight local store time, so in practice New Zealand starts at 11:00 UTC on Nov 18 and US West Coast players start at 9 PM PT on Nov 18. Every region is on our release time by country page.
Is GTA 6 delayed again?
No. There is no third delay. Take-Two has reaffirmed Nov 19 at every earnings report since the second delay:
| Date | Event | What Take-Two said |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 3, 2026 | Q3 FY26 | On track; marketing starts in summer. Physical-edition delay rumours: “That’s not the plan.” |
| May 21, 2026 | Q4 FY26 | FY27 “will establish new record levels of operating performance driven by the November 19th launch” |
| Aug 7, 2026 | Q1 FY27 | Date reaffirmed; pre-orders “unprecedented and astonishing” |
| Nov 9, 2026 | Q2 FY27 | ”ten days away”; development finished |
Rumours of a slip to February 2027 or later, spread by 4chan posts and parody accounts through 2026, have been debunked. debunked We track that history on the another-delay rumour page.
GTA 6 delay history
GTA 6 has moved twice. Both times Rockstar said it needed more time for quality.
| Announced | Change | Rockstar’s reason |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 4, 2023 (Trailer 1) | Window set: “2025” | — |
| May 16, 2024 | Narrowed to “Fall of Calendar 2025” (Take-Two guidance) | — |
| May 2, 2025 | Fall 2025 → Tuesday, May 26, 2026 | ”We need this extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.” |
| Nov 6, 2025 | May 26, 2026 → Thursday, Nov 19, 2026 | Extra months to “finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve” |
Trailer 2 dropped on May 6, 2025, four days after the first delay. The second delay was posted on Rockstar Newswire and X, timed with Take-Two’s earnings that day. Take-Two said the firing of 31 UK staff a week earlier was unrelated to the delay. confirmed (company claim)
When was the first delay announced?
Most outlets, and our own timeline research, date the first delay announcement to May 2, 2025. Gfinity dates it to July 2025. Every other source says May, and Trailer 2’s May 6 date fits that, so we go with May 2. debunked (the July date)
The full story, with Take-Two’s guidance language at each step, is on GTA 6 delays and in the wider development history.
What day of the week is the GTA 6 release?
Thursday. November 19, 2026 falls on a Thursday. Because of the midnight-Eastern US unlock, much of the US actually starts on Wednesday night, Nov 18.
What platforms is GTA 6 releasing on?
- PS5 and PS5 Pro confirmed
- Xbox Series X and Series S confirmed
- Xbox One, via Xbox Cloud Gaming only, from 1 AM ET on Nov 19 confirmed
- Not on PS4, PC or Switch 2 at launch
See PC release date, Switch 2 and cloud gaming for the details.
Key dates around launch
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Nov 10 | Pre-load opened (PS5 midnight local; Xbox 00:00 GMT) |
| Nov 12 | Boxed copies (download codes) reached stores |
| Nov 13 | Update 1.002.000 started rolling out |
| Nov 18 | Reported review embargo rumour; New Zealand unlocks at 11:00 UTC |
| Nov 19 | Launch. Printable map on rockstargames.com; Grand Theft Auto VI: The Album releases |
| Nov 21 | Grand Theft Auto VI: The Festival in Miami |
| Dec 11 | Justice’s original score album |
Read more on pre-load, reviews and the soundtrack album.
Bottom line
Nov 19 is locked. Pre-load your copy, check your region’s unlock time, and run through the day-one checklist. Everything else is on the release hub.