Take-Two CEO on GTA 6 Delay: 'Painful but Necessary for Creative Vision'

Back in February, I asked Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick how confident he was about hitting GTA 6's then fall 2025 release window. He told me he felt "really good about it." Three months later, perhaps to no one's surprise, GTA 6 was delayed to May 26, 2026.

What changed in those few months? That's what I asked Zelnick in a new interview to coincide with Take-Two's just-published financial results. He said that as GTA 6 got closer to launch, the need for more polish "became clear."

"As we get closer to completion of a title that's seeking perfection, the needs or lack thereof, for continued polish become clear," Zelnick said. "In this case, there was an opportunity with a small amount of incremental time, we thought, to make sure Rockstar Games achieves its creative vision with no limitations. And I supported, of course, that approach."

GTA 6's delay outside Take-Two's current financial year into the next is a blow for the company's numbers in the short term, but Zelnick told me he still feels really good about what he has coming up, including Gearbox's Borderlands 4, Hangar 13's Mafia: The Old Country, and of course new games in its NBA 2K and WWE 2K franchises.

"I feel really good about how Fiscal 26 looks sitting here today," he said. "And while, of course, delays pain me — how could they not? — the most important thing to do is to support your teams in their search for perfection."

GTA 6 Jason Duval Screenshots

View 6 ImagesNow, the obvious next question is a repeat of what I asked Zelnick back in February: how confident are you that Rockstar will hit May 26, 2026? This time around, Zelnick sounded even more certain:

"I think historically when we set a specific date, generally speaking, we've been very good about reaching it."

That, to me, is saying GTA 6 won't be delayed without actually saying it. Never say never, of course, but now GTA 6 has an actual release date, it would be a pretty big shock if it slipped again.

The release of GTA 6 Trailer 2 and Rockstar's accompanying info-dump has sparked all sorts of speculation about what to expect from what is sure to be the biggest video game of all time. Some GTA fans even think Liberty City may end up in GTA 6 either at launch or as post-launch DLC.

While we wait to find out, we've got plenty more on GTA 6, including all the details we've discovered so far, a roundup of 70 brand new screenshots, and the expert opinion on how GTA 6 will look on PS5 Pro.