GTA 6 Delay No Surprise: Rockstar's History of Postponements

Take a deep breath and remember: Delays are good.

OK, that statement isn’t always true, but it usually is. Delayed projects sometimes result in bad games (looking at you, Duke Nukem 3D), but much more often, taking more time produces something exceptional. Spending meticulous weeks—sometimes months—perfecting a game matters. So does having the courage to scrap ideas that sounded great on paper but didn’t work in practice. How many half-finished games have you played and thought, “Why didn’t they just delay this until it was ready?” Got that in mind? Hold onto it.

GTA 6 is delayed, and that’s a good thing—because the game will almost certainly be better for it.

Rockstar has a long-standing reputation for delaying releases to ensure they meet their sky-high standards. This disciplined approach places them in an elite category alongside studios like Nintendo—ones that refuse to serve a product until it’s fully baked. And when Rockstar finally pulls it out of the oven? It’s always worth the wait.

I’ve been playing GTA games since the beginning—from four-player LAN sessions on PC to the most obscure entries like London 1969, the blockbuster hit GTA V, and the true masterpiece, Chinatown Wars on the DS. For decades, I’ve wreaked havoc, stolen cars, and caused chaos in these brilliantly crafted, satirical worlds. And one thing stands out: these games are almost always late… and, not coincidentally, almost always incredible. Here’s a look at every major delay in the GTA series (and a few Red Dead ones too).

Grand Theft Auto III

Rockstar’s New York office was just a few blocks from the World Trade Center. In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, Take Two quickly announced a delay for GTA III. Marketing VP Terry Donovan explained the decision just days later:

"Our decision is based on two factors. First, it's been difficult to work in downtown Manhattan, as basic communications infrastructure has been intermittent. Second, we felt a full content review of our titles and marketing materials was necessary in light of last week’s tragic events."

He added: "GTA is such a large game that the review isn’t quick. We’ve already found small contextual references and rare gameplay moments that no longer feel appropriate. We apologize for the delay, but I’m sure you understand. Rest assured, the game will be phenomenal—and it will hit shelves in late October.”

Even with minimal changes, the delay was the right call. Launching a game filled with police chases and chaos so soon after a national tragedy would have been tone-deaf and deeply uncomfortable.

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

The shortest delays in the series are shared by Vice City and San Andreas. Back when games shipped on physical discs, studios had to predict demand far in advance. Rockstar delayed Vice City by just seven days to manufacture additional copies and meet overwhelming day-one demand following the success of GTA III.

San Andreas for PS2 also launched a week later than planned—but this was a strategic move. The extra time gave the development team crucial days to polish a massive, two-year project before release.

Every Celebrity in GTA: San Andreas

View 37 ImagesGrand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

Let’s be real: the handheld GTA titles are good. So good, in fact, that they deserve a second look on your old PSP or DS. Most portable GTAs launched on schedule, but Vice City Stories for PSP was delayed by two weeks in North America, with even longer waits in parts of Europe.

And the best GTA of all time (yes, I said it)? Chinatown Wars for the DS arrived two months late. When it finally launched, critics hailed it as a masterpiece. It’s one of gaming’s greatest missed opportunities that it didn’t sell well—because if it had, we might already be playing Chinatown Wars 3 on the Switch 2.

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AnswerSee ResultsGrand Theft Auto IV

After GTA III revolutionized open-world gaming, anticipation for GTA IV was sky-high. Moving beyond the aging RenderWare engine and embracing the new PS3 and Xbox 360 generation, Rockstar Leeds aimed for a quantum leap. Achieving that vision required several months of delay.

As Rockstar’s Sam Hause put it: “The new consoles are allowing us to create the Grand Theft Auto game we always dreamed about. Every aspect has been transformed. The game is huge and pushes hardware to its limits. Top engineers from Sony and Microsoft are working directly with our team to maximize performance. Our goal is to surpass even the wildest expectations and deliver the ultimate high-definition experience.”

Grand Theft Auto V

The most successful console game of all time didn’t come quickly. *GTA V* launched in September 2013, but was initially expected in spring of that year. In January 2013, Rockstar released this statement:

“We know this is about four months later than planned, and we know the delay will disappoint many of you. But trust us—it will be worth it. GTAV is massively ambitious and complex, and it simply needs more polish to meet the standards we—and more importantly, you—expect. To all fans, we apologize for the delay and promise the entire team is working hard to make this game all it can be. We’re doing everything we can to ensure it meets, if not exceeds, your expectations by September. Thank you for your support and patience.”

They were right. GTA V went on to become a cultural phenomenon, breaking sales records and earning its place as one of the greatest games ever made—alongside RDR2, a crown jewel in Rockstar’s legacy.

Red Dead Redemption 2

While not part of the GTA series, Red Dead Redemption 2 is Rockstar’s finest achievement—and worth mentioning here. True to form, it was delayed twice. The first came in spring 2017 for quality assurance. The second delay was announced in February 2018, pushing the release to October 26.

Rockstar explained: “We are excited to announce Red Dead Redemption 2