GTA 6 May Delay Major Game Releases, Report Warns

GTA 6 May Cause Major Studios to Delay Game Launches, Industry Report Says

The highly anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto VI in Fall 2025 could shake the entire gaming industry — before it even hits store shelves.

According to a new report from The Game Business, at least three major game publishers are reconsidering their release dates to avoid launching near GTA 6, Rockstar Games’ next blockbuster title.

🕹️ Studios Bracing for a “GTA 6 Meteor Strike”

One anonymous executive from a top publisher said bluntly:

“We don’t want to be anywhere near that. Rockstar’s games suck time and money out of the market.”

Another insider added that in today’s gaming economy, “time is the real scarcity, not money.”

Even live-service developers are planning to pause content updates during the GTA 6 release window, fearing reduced player engagement.

One studio boss went as far as to call GTA 6:

“Basically a huge meteor — we’ll just stay clear of the blast zone.”

📅 Why Game Publishers Are Avoiding Fall 2025

There are several reasons why developers are steering clear of GTA 6’s launch window:

🧨 Rockstar’s track record: Each GTA release has dominated headlines, attention, and sales charts for months.
🕵️ Unconfirmed launch date: Some studios are holding off on announcing their own release dates until Rockstar confirms GTA 6’s exact drop.
📉 Financial risk: Analysts caution that smaller or mid-tier studios may struggle to survive if they go head-to-head with GTA 6.

Although the current plan is for GTA 6 to release in Fall 2025 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, a delay is still possible — a trend consistent with Rockstar’s past.

📈 Could GTA 6 Still Benefit the Gaming Industry?

Not every studio sees GTA 6 as a threat. Some developers, like Ubisoft, view the game’s arrival as a net positive for the industry:

It could reignite interest in gaming among casual or lapsed players
Estimated to sell 40 million copies and generate $3 billion in Year One
Expected to increase overall gaming visibility and media coverage

However, many indie and mid-tier developers still fear that GTA 6 will “suck all the air out of the room,” according to Greg Rice of Day of the Devs and PlayStation.