Rumor: Grand Theft Auto 6 Developers Are “Confident” And Don’t Expect Another Delay At All

We have an interesting case of a rumor countering another. A counter-rumor, if you will, about Grand Theft Auto 6.

The Original Delay Rumor

Last week, Tom Henderson of Insider Gaming revealed that he doesn’t believe that Grand Theft Auto 6 will release on the announced May 2026 date. He expects that it will release a little later, on October 2026.

Henderson did not suggest that there are issues with development per se. But as even Rockstar fans seem to have forgotten, Take-Two has made changes to Rockstar’s management and work culture.

As even the rumor mill confirmed, Rockstar employees are now working reasonable hours, and the company is not pushing them to crunch to get the game released on time. That’s great news for the developers themselves. Hopefully, that also means we’ll get a game that won’t be broken or need a Day One patch because of it.

The Counter-Rumor

Luke Stephens shared this tidbit in his Luke Stephens Live YouTube channel:

What I will say is I recently spoke to somebody who works in the industry on the publishing side and is like pretty high up in the publishing side. He manages hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of projects at any given moment.

And he said he does not think it’s delaying at all. He said he used to work with some of the guys that are over there right now and he’s like, they’re confident. They’re confident. So, he doesn’t think it’s happening and he knows what he’s doing.

So Which Is It?

To assess both rumors, we do have to be mindful of how they get this information. Henderson and Stephens would have to have connections in this company one way or another. Some of them may have a direct line, such as a person who works at Rockstar or Take-Two Interactive. But it’s also possible they get this information secondhand, from people who work with Rockstar, or Take-Two.

It’s entirely possible that both Henderson’s and Stephens’ sources are telling the truth. And it’s possible that these are people just sharing opinions with each other. Rockstar and Take-Two themselves may not be entirely sure how much longer it will take for them to polish the game to completion.

But if it means anything, Stephens’ rumor is reassuring. Whether there is a delay or not, if the mood inside Rockstar is confidence, they may already know that they are delivering a classic with this one.