The GTA 6 Delay Just Hit Gamers Harder Than Ever Before

2 weeks ago 18

Published May 26, 2026, 8:27 AM EDT

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

Once upon a time, we should've all been playing Grand Theft Auto 6 today. After a decade of waiting, a release for May 26 was finally set. Then, there was the notorious delay, in which it was announced GTA 6 wouldn't be arriving until November 19. Since then, there have been nearly endless rumors of another GTA 6 delay, despite Take-Two saying differently, meaning fans haven't exactly been able to relax much in the past year.

"Today was supposed to be the day for us all to rejoice," reads the original post from Imaginary-Plate5600 on Reddit. This is accompanied by a video showing various scenes from movies and TV shows in which characters are outrageously upset, all taking place under the Grand Theft Auto 6 logo. "Let’s just pray there’s no more delays," Imaginary-Plate5600 wrote under the video.

Most of the comments underneath are the kind of memes you might expect. Gifs of characters from TV and films crying. There's a pretty solid one of Billy Crystal offering tissues. Of course, some comments are more wistful and sentimental.

"It’s my birthday, I was so HYPED getting as a present for the occasion," wrote one disappointed fan.

"Maybe it is, in some alternate universe," wrote another.

For anyone still fearing another GTA 6 delay, it looks like Rockstar and its parent company Take-Two are dead set on making sure that doesn't happen. In fact, it looks like the companies' attention will soon turn to GTA 6's Trailer 3 and start up the game's promotion in earnest this summer. From the sound of things, it looks like that'll be happening sometime in June.

And while all of that is exciting, it is a bit disappointing that we could've been playing GTA 6 today. Hopefully, this extra time will allow the game to be as polished and perfect as it can be. A delay is bad, but releasing a game this hyped in an unfinished state is even worse. If this is what it takes to get the optimum version of Grand Theft Auto 6, then it's worth the waiting.