Grand Theft Auto 6 Will Not See Another Delay At Risk of Losing Hype, Says Former Animator

While Rockstar Games has already had to delay the highly-anticipated title Grand Theft Auto 6, former animator for the studio, Mike York doesn’t believe that the game will face any more delays. Speaking to Esports Insider (via Dexerto), York noted that the currently-planned November 19, 2026 release date for Grand Theft Auto 6 is a good time for the game to come out thanks to it being just a month before Christmas, which tends to be a popular time for shopping.

“I think the game will be released in November 2026 as it’s a good time for the game to come out for Rockstar for multiple reasons to sell video games. If you want to sell a big amount of video games then that’s the perfect time for GTA 6 to come out with it being a month before Christmas,” said York. “Usually companies only delay these things once or twice when they need to, so I think it will come out around that time.”

As for the reasons behind the delay—Grand Theft Auto 6 was originally planned for release in May 20260—York believes that the studio has been hard at work to ensure that the game is as good as it possibly can be. This includes the need for polish as well, since the studio also has quite a bit on the line in terms of its reputation and potential revenue.

“If I know Rockstar Games, and I know the guys over there, one of the reasons for the delay in releasing GTA 6 is because they’re trying to make it look as best as it can possibly be,” he said. “They’re polishing stuff. I don’t think they’re completely finished with the game, given how much is on the line and how big everyone’s expectations are for it.”

At this point, York also doesn’t think there will be any more delays for the release of Grand Theft Auto 6. According to him, this largely comes down to the current hype behind the game. However, constant delays will likely end up with people having stopped caring about the game.

“If Rockstar Games delay GTA 6 again then the hype around the game will die down almost completely. Right now, nobody is searching for GTA 6,” said York. “Everyone knows there’s no news, there’s nothing to talk about… There’s a point to where you delay something so much that you start to make people angry.”

“People aren’t itching to find new details or a latest leak anymore, they’re over it,” he continued. “They are thinking, ‘it will come out when it comes out’, as they’re so burnt out from thinking it will come out soon and then it doesn’t… And then they’re like, ‘OK, whatever…’”

While there has undoubtedly been plenty of hype behind Grand Theft Auto 6, developer Rockstar Games has also recently come under fire for having fired more than 30 of its employees for what it called “gross misconduct.” The employees themselves, along with the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) have been protesting the company, calling its acts union busting.