GTA 6 Showdown Is Coming, So Get Ready

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Published Feb 1, 2026, 10:00 AM EST

Austin King is the Senior Editor of Gaming at ScreenRant and has been with the site since 2020 with a focus on RPGs and tabletop games. He previously managed content for Geek to Geek Media, and has served as a writer for sites like Nintendad, Geek Fitness, and more.

In addition to his work at ScreenRant, he also hosts the Dragon Quest FM podcast and is the author of several books, including co-writing Nimbus (a #1 bestseller in 2013). His latest is the nonfiction The Dragon Quest Book, available now.

He's written about pop culture, video games, and genre studies over the course of his career. You can find him on BlueSky, X, and at Dragonquestaustin.com

Grand Theft Auto 6 should be the undisputed champion of 2026 releases, assuming the long-awaited game from Rockstar actually comes out this year. And while it'll definitely sell incredibly well, there are already a couple of games that are setting up to do battle with it this fall. That could lead to a pretty major showdown.

Right now, GTA 6 is set to release on November 19, 2026. But since multiple delays have already occurred, fans and industry insiders alike are already speculating the next Grand Theft Auto game will be delayed once more. In the meantime, a number of new games are already announcing Fall 2026 release windows, apparently unfazed by GTA 6 (or perhaps confident it'll get delayed again).

Fable Releases In Fall 2026

The hero speaking to a beggar in the Fable reboot

Fable has an official release window of "Autumn 2026," which means it could certainly release around the same time as GTA 6. It's a long-awaited return to the world of Albion, and the recent reveal at the Xbox Developer Direct showed off what will seemingly be a GOTY contender. It's an open-world RPG with 1000s of NPCs that will talk to you, and you can even marry most of them and have children.

That's the kind of immersive experience that put Baldur's Gate 3 into the cultural zeitgeist, and Fable is also a day-one release on Game Pass, a vastly more affordable option to the $100+ price tag that GTA 6 is rumored to have. Between RPG fans and the more cost-efficient crowd, Fable is already warming up to be a roadblock for GTA 6, and it's not even the only major AAA game releasing around the same time.

Marvel's Wolverine Also Arrives In Fall 2026

Cover art for Marvel's Wolverine, featuring Logan in his yellow costume against a yellow background.

Marvel's Wolverine has also been given a Fall 2026 release window and, while it has the disadvantage of being a PlayStation exclusive and an M-rated game (just look at those disappointing sale numbers for FF16), it's still a highly-anticipated title that has brand recognition both from Wolverine and the X-Men, but also from Insomniac's celebrated Spider-Man franchise.

Marvel's Wolverine could certainly be enough of a temptation to steal a bit of GTA 6's thunder, but as a multi-platform release and day-one launch on Game Pass, I expect Fable to be the bigger threat here. If nothing else, both games could pose enough of a distraction to create a gaming showdown for the ages.

Let's be honest, though, GTA 6 is still going to sell incredibly well. Even after launch, unless something goes horribly wrong with it, Grand Theft Auto 6 will continue to rack up sales and build an audience. While there's no disputing that, there's also no disputing that having major games like Marvel's Wolverine and Fable releasing at the same time should make for an interesting scenario. Players — and their wallets — may have to choose carefully.