GTA 6 Delay Might Be Coming—And That’s the Point

GTA 6 Might Get Delayed—And That Might Be Exactly What Take-Two Wants

So here we are again: another week, another wave of GTA 6 theories. But this time, it’s not just fans posting cryptic screenshots or Reddit threads zooming into billboard textures. It’s a former Rockstar developer straight-up saying GTA 6 could be following the same path as GTA 4—a mid-year delay with a silent, dramatic buildup.

“Decision day might be in July.” — Obbe Vermeij, ex-Rockstar dev on X

Obbe Vermeij worked on GTA 4 and recalls that the game was internally delayed in the summer of 2007, just months before its planned fall release. That same pattern—announce early, say nothing, delay later—might be in play again with GTA 6. And to be honest? It fits Rockstar’s style perfectly.

Rockstar’s Deleted Content Legacy

The release dates of all parts of GTA, as well as the facts indicating that GTA 6 will be released in the fall of 2025, are described in our longread.

This whole delay speculation gets even more interesting when you remember what happened with GTA 4 and San Andreas. Both games were famously ambitious, and both lost major features during development.

• GTA San Andreas was supposed to have drivable trains, working gyms, skateboards, and even car towing mechanics—all cut before release.
• GTA 4 had an entire ecosystem scrapped: jetpacks, customizable characters, underwater swimming, and San Andreas-style stats were all gone. The jump to “next-gen” at the time meant compromises.

Now with GTA 6, rumors say NPCs will have real-life routines, possibly creating the most dynamic world Rockstar’s ever made. But if that’s true, we might also be looking at a repeat of past development sacrifices—especially if deadlines loom and systems need to be scaled back.

The Long, Loud Silence of GTA 6

And then there’s Rockstar’s silence—what I like to call “phenomenal silence marketing.” The first and only official trailer for GTA 6 dropped in December 2023. Since then? Absolutely nothing. No follow-up teaser, no blog post, not even a tweet.

“There’s more than enough excitement around GTA 6. Surprise will benefit the game.” — Vermeij on why Rockstar shouldn’t drop another trailer

This isn’t neglect. It’s chess. Rockstar knows the entire industry is watching. Every move—or lack thereof—sends ripples. We’re now 500+ days post-trailer, and people are still talking about it daily. That’s brand power few companies have, and Rockstar’s using it as a weapon.

A Delay Would Be the Most Rockstar Thing Ever

Now here’s the spicy take: if GTA 6 gets delayed, it becomes the most Rockstar-style marketing moment possible—and Take-Two, their publisher, might secretly love it.

Why? Because the second that happens, every outlet will run some version of the “I told you so!” headline. Twitter/X will explode. Reddit will be unreadable. YouTubers will flood your recommended with “BREAKING NEWS: GTA 6 DELAYED??” thumbnails. Pure chaos—and all of it is free advertising.

It’ll feed into the mystique. The longer Rockstar says nothing, the more people talk. And when the game finally drops? It’ll explode.

“If the people at the beginning aren’t ready, then everyone is f***ed because everyone has to wait.” — Vermeij quoting the reality of large-scale game dev pipelines

This quote applies to Rockstar, but it also applies to the industry. Other publishers are literally waiting to find out when GTA 6 drops so they can adjust their schedules. If GTA 6 slips into 2026? You’ll see entire release calendars reshuffled in real time.

Your Hype Is the Marketing

Let’s be real. At this point, the marketing for GTA 6 isn’t being done by Rockstar—it’s being done by us. Every tweet, every leak breakdown, every “here’s what the map might look like” video is keeping the fire burning without the devs lifting a finger.

And Rockstar knows that.

So yeah, GTA 6 might be delayed. But don’t think of it as a failure. Think of it as part of the plan. The mystery, the silence, the speculation—it’s all part of a marketing strategy that doesn’t sell you a game. It sells you a world you want to believe in.

Want a deep dive on all the stuff cut from past GTA games, or how Take-Two’s chaotic energy fuels this kind of marketing genius? Hit me up. I’m down that rabbit hole already.