GTA 6 Will Not Release Before 2021

The much awaited GTA 6 has seen to a non-stop stream of rumors in the past few years, half of which have claimed a number of release dates.

The much awaited Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) has seen to a non-stop stream of rumors in the past few years, half of which have claimed a number of release dates. It can now be verified that for better or worse, the next-generation installment in the acclaimed franchise will not be arriving for at least another year.

In an earnings report for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2020, CEO Strauss Zelnick of parent company Take-Two Interactive once again touted having “the strongest development pipeline in history” that includes “sequels from our biggest franchises” to date. However, at the same time, he noted that the next fiscal year, which ends on March 31, 2021, will be light in terms of new releases.

Fair to say, Take-Two Interactive would be setting a different tone if GTA 6 was planned as a launch title for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X during the holiday season at the end of the year, as some rumors have suggest before. GTA 6 is also not a game to release mid-year and hence, deserves a holiday release, which further dictates that a potential release window at the earliest has to be fall 2021.

We have an array of titles that we will begin to launch in fiscal 2022, which we expect to drive sequential growth that year. Our company remains superbly positioned—creatively, operationally and financially—to capitalize on the many positive trends in our industry, and to deliver continued growth and returns for our shareholders over the long-term.

Some highly anticipated projects excluding GTA 6 include BioShock 4 and Mafia 4. Zelnick already stated earlier in the year that BioShock 4 is still years away and since the game has reportedly been in development for only two years, it would be unlikely to expect a release anytime soon.

Mafia 4, however, has already started to make headlines. There is a new Mafia Trilogy bundle coming in a few months that will include a full remake of the original game, and high-definition remastered versions of the second and third installments. Mafia 4 will probably start getting marketed next year once the trilogy has run its course. Hence, presumably, Mafia 4 at least can be considered confirmed to release in 2021. GTA 6, should it be pushed further back, will see the light of day in 2022 by the latest.

Saqib is a managing editor at segmentnext.com who has halted regime changes, curbed demonic invasions, and averted at least one cosmic omnicide from the confines of his gaming chair. When not whipping his writers into ...