GTA 6 delayed again! Fans' long wait for highly-anticipated game just got longer
Rockstar said it needed the extra months to make sure it sold a product fans had come to "expect and deserve"
Gamers will be frustrated to hear that Grand Theft Auto 6's release has been delayed for a second time.
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Developer Rockstar Games announced that the highly anticipated game will now hit the shelves on November 19, 2026.
Creators had already pushed back the release to May 2026, having initially planned for the game to be available to players this autumn.
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But in a statement, Rockstar said it needed the extra months to make sure it sold a product fans had come to "expect and deserve".
It has been 12 years since the last game in the series - GTA 5 - was released.
Despite the long wait, the game is still extremely popular with fans and ranks as the second best-selling game of all time.
Rockstar apologised for "adding additional time" to a long wait and thanked fans for their patience.
When it is released, players will be able to explore the game's setting of Leonida - a fictional US state based on Florida - and a modern-day version of the Miami-inspired Vice City.
The setback comes after Rockstar's UK studios fired 31 workers on October 30.
The mass departures led The Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) to accuse the company of union busting.
Protests were held outside Rockstar's offices in Edinburgh and London on Thursday.
Much of GTA 6's detail is yet to be revealed, with Rockstar only releasing two trailers so far.
The second of these clips, released in May, has amassed over 100 million views and gave players more insight into the backstory of protagonists Jason and Lucia - a criminal couple living in Leonida.
Gamers were also shown new characters and map locations in the three-minute clip.
Rockstar has a history for delaying games in pursuit of perfectionism. Its previous big release - Red Dead Redemption 2 - was delayed by roughly a year.
Publishers are now less willing to take risks on their products amid soaring development costs and increased demand for complex games from players.
When GTA 6 is finally released, it is expected to break all sale and production cost records.