Grand Theft Auto VI is out on Thursday 19 November 2026, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. The date comes from Rockstar Games, published on its Newswire.
If you are still asking, it is probably because it has already changed twice. That is what this page is really about.
The three dates, in order
| Announced | Target | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| December 2023, with the first trailer | Autumn 2025 | Delayed |
| May 2025 | 26 May 2026 | Delayed |
| May 2025 | 19 November 2026 | Current date |
Rockstar Games announced the second delay with a line that said exactly why: the extra months were to finish the game at the level of polish players expect.
Two delays on a game this size is not unusual. What tells you whether a third is coming is not the history, it is the signals since.
What suggests this date holds
Three things, all checkable:
Take-Two reaffirmed it. Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two Interactive, said again during 2026 that the game was still planned for 19 November. His reasoning carried more weight than the statement: marketing and pre-orders were under way, and you do not start a campaign while doubting the date.
Pre-orders have been open since 25 June 2026. Taking players' money against a date is a commitment of a different order from a statement.
The game has been shown at length. Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look, broadcast on 27 August 2026, is twenty-six minutes captured entirely in-game on PlayStation 5. A studio does not show twenty-six minutes of the thing running if it has another year of work left.
None of the three is a guarantee. Together they are a clear break from 2024, when the game had never been shown as anything but a trailer.
Preload and launch timing
Preload opens on 12 November 2026, a week before release. That is when to download the game if you bought it digitally, so you are not waiting on the 19th.
Rockstar Games has not given a precise unlock time. On worldwide releases of this size unlocking usually happens at midnight local time, but until that is announced we do not present it as fact.
On which platforms, exactly
PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, which includes the Xbox Series S.
No PS4, no Xbox One, and no PC version has been announced, neither a date nor an intention. Both questions have their own page:
- Grand Theft Auto VI on PC: what Rockstar has said and has not
- Grand Theft Auto VI on PS4 and Xbox One: the answer
What is not confirmed
- The exact unlock time.
- Any date for a PC version.
- The content and timing of the online mode.
Rockstar Games has said nothing on those three, and we do not publish estimates.
Read next
- Where to pre-order Grand Theft Auto VI, prices and editions
- Everything Rockstar has confirmed about the gameplay
- The most asked questions about Grand Theft Auto VI
Sources: Rockstar Games · Grand Theft Auto VI · Rockstar Newswire: Grand Theft Auto VI is Now Set to Launch November 19, 2026 · statements by Strauss Zelnick (Take-Two Interactive), 2026 · Grand Theft Auto VI: An Extended Look, 27 August 2026.
