GTA VI Delayed to November 2026, and We All Know the Real Reason Why
This is my surprised face. It's almost like firing your experienced staff has consequences.
I just got the official announcement. Grand Theft Auto VI is now set to launch on Thursday, November 19, 2026. This is a significant delay from its original May 2026 window.
In the statement, Rockstar says, "these extra months will allow us to finish the game with the level of polish you have come to expect and deserve".
I'm sorry, but I just can't read that with a straight face.
'Polish' Is a Funny Way to Spell 'Union Busting'
Let's call this what it is. This is a "suspicious" timeline, to say the least.
Just last week, I wrote about how Rockstar was accused of one of the most "ruthless acts of union busting" in the industry's history.
They fired between 30 and 40 people across their UK and Canada offices. And these weren't just interns. We're talking people in IT, publishing, QA, and brand marketing. You know, the people whose entire job is to get a game finished and out the door.
And now, a few days later, Rockstar needs "extra months" for "polish"? What a stunning coincidence.
This Is a Self-Inflicted Wound
This is what happens when a company's paranoia and anti-union stance meet reality.
Rockstar's official line for the firings was "gross misconduct". The IWGB union, however, claimed every single fired employee was just... part of a private union chat on Discord.
You can't just purge your teams, especially critical teams like QA and IT, and then act surprised when your production pipeline grinds to a halt.
This delay isn't some noble quest for perfection. It's a logistical nightmare of their own making. It's the predictable, inevitable consequence of firing the very people you need to ship the biggest game in history.
So, yes, Rockstar wants us to believe this is all for us, the players, to get the "level of polish we deserve".
But I'm not buying it. This delay is a black eye, and it was 100% self-inflicted. They wanted a "lean" and "agile" business. What they got was a six-month delay.
You just can't have it both ways.