GTA 6 release date - Two big reasons why Grand Theft Auto 6 may get delayed

The autumn 2025 release date for GTA 6 could be in jeopardy, as Rockstar parent company Take-Two makes a big game announcement. During the recent gamescom event in Cologne, open-world crime game Mafia: The Old Country was unveiled by developer Hangar-13. With Hangar-13 falling under the Take-Two banner, this has led to speculation that GTA 6 could be pushed back to 2026 in order to avoid a clash between the two high-profile game releases. Meanwhile, another leak suggests Rockstar Games could be planning to release an optimised version of Red Dead Redemption 2 for PS5 and Xbox Series X. With the new Red Dead Redemption 2 port also likely to launch in 2025, this is another reason why some people think Grand Theft Auto 6 will be pushed back.

Mafia: The Old Country will be showcased in full this December, which means we'll have a better idea about when exactly the game will make its debut.

If it does have a 2025 release date, then don't be surprised if this has a knock on effect for the launch of GTA 6.

As for the potential Red Dead 2 port, an alleged PS5/Xbox Series X|S trailer was recently shared on X (via GBNews).

"Is Rockstar Games up to something?" reads the accompanying tweet. "Taken from a now deleted Reddit post about a PS5 and Xbox Series X version of Red Dead Redemption 2. Bully just got rated for the same consoles so who knows."

The trailer ends with confirmation of a March 2025 release date for current-gen hardware.

While the original post claims the project may have been abandoned, there's speculation that it could be resurrected if GTA 6 looks like it will be delayed.

A hugely ambitious game like GTA 6 could easily run into optimisation issues towards the end of development, so it could be a pretty smart move to have a couple of alternative game releases in the pipeline.

Grand Theft Auto 6 takes place in the state of Leonida, which is based on Florida.

Rockstar explains: "Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet."

The trailer gives fans a look some of the map locations as seen from the skies above. This includes locations based on the Florida Keys, as well as the beach and more.

Hopefully we'll get a better look at the locations, as well as some gameplay in the next GTA 6 trailer, which is rumoured to drop on October 4.